2021 Women of Water

By Kyle Amergian, Education Manager

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The last week of summer programming included the 2021 session of Women of Water, a long-running program designed by Director of Research, Phoebe Jekielek, specifically for high school girls and non-binary students interested in studying the ocean while practicing community building and leadership. Among the new faces arriving on Hurricane for the week-long course were three instructors, Kate Kyros, Kerry Whittaker, and Becca Turkewitz, former colleagues who had co-taught an interdisciplinary marine science, humanities, and leadership course at the former semester school, Coastal Studies for Girls. Kate, Kerry, and Becca were thrilled to join the island team for the week as leaders of Women of Water. Together, we all worked to create a space of learning, laughter, and self discovery while wading in the intertidal, collecting plankton, and taking in the sounds and sights of the island.

Each student was handed a fresh new journal on their first day here. The journals were intended to be used during sit spots and certain lessons, but students loved them so much they began to use them in between lessons and during free time. The students filled them with notes, poems, journal entrees, questions, drawings, and paintings. Their journals were a tool that turned into a keepsake, and I hope that they are able to look through them throughout the years to remember all of the rich experiences that they had on Hurricane Island. 

Throughout the week, students engaged in an arc of interdisciplinary science and leadership learning, moving from personal observation, to inquiry, to action and communication, building community. Along with hands-on field work in the intertidal zone, the group had the privilege to work with a wide range of ocean science and policy professionals beginning with Dana Wilfahrt and Rachel Miller of Rozalia Project who shared their love for the ocean and their work to spread awareness of ocean pollution and seek solutions to the ocean plastic problem.  Dana and Rachel also offered tools for students to find their ‘sweet spot’ of personal action to help the ocean, based on what the ocean needs, what they’re good at, and what they love to do.

On Tuesday, students were introduced to cutting edge ocean sampling technology through the FlowCam™, an instrument that combines fluid imaging technology and microscopic imagery to visualize and analyze diverse ocean plankton. FlowCam™ representatives Harry Nelson and Savannah Judge shared their time, passion, and expertise with the group. Midweek, the WoW students greeted six mentors who came to Hurricane Island for a ‘Hike and Lunch’ that led to authentic dialogue and conversations about marine-related career paths and how to harness one’s passions and interests to make change in the world. Mentor expertise ranged from ocean science, to natural history, community climate change resilience, environmental leadership, marine management, and conservation-based aquaculture. 

Humanities work led the students from analyzing birth and death records to reading sea poems by Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, E.E. Cummings and others. Reflecting the science themes of the week, the leadership activities and conversations guided the students through personal observation, inquiry of group dynamics, and assessment of actions and effective communication for understanding and addressing climate anxiety as resilient leaders in our complex world. 

  Ideas and questions were formed on slippery rocks in the tidepools. Articles and poems were read on warm granite, along soft mossy trails and everywhere in between. Snacks were eaten on sun baked ledges. By the time the last night on the island rolled around, the group had become a true community through sharing these experiences. A bonfire was lit, s’mores were toasted, and students watched meteors fall across the sky while giving each other friendship bracelets. 

When the Equinox pulled off the main pier with the Women of Water students aboard, there was a bittersweet feeling in the air. It was the end of another fruitful program week. It was also the end of summer programming. The Hurricane Island staff turned back to a quiet island that had been bustling with life just a moment ago. We had parted ways with a wonderful group of students, and now the time to part ways with a wonderful summer island crew was approaching. Each person that has stepped on this island this year has left positive memories that will live on with each and every one of us. Thank you, Hurricane Island.

Lessons Learned in the Field

By Samuel Burgess, 2021 Summer Research Intern

Sam is currently pursuing his BS in Marine Science at the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences

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Sunset over Little Hurricane Island - Sam Burgess

During my ten weeks on Hurricane Island, and under the excellent direction of Phoebe Jekielek and Madison Maier, a lot of awesome science occurred! From flow meters and hydrodynamic models to gonadosomatic indices and Niskin bottles, there was never a shortage of research to be done. This doesn’t mean it was easy, though. The work our team did for the Maine eDNA program, as well as other aquaculture-related efforts, required a healthy amount of thought and preparation because of how fieldwork-heavy it was, and there were several important lessons to be learned from this.

Firstly, always plan for things to take longer than you think. An important way field work differs from lab work (which I am more accustomed to) is the flexibility required when planning excursions and samplings. There will always be something that extends the length of a trip or sample processing session, whether it be equipment malfunctions, in-situ decisions to perform additional sampling, or an exceedingly cute lumpfish that demands a photoshoot. Crucially, delays are nothing to worry about on the island! They happen constantly as a regular part of working in the field and especially around a working waterfront, so the best you can do is account for them when scheduling.

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A lumpfish, found at the aquaculture site on Hurricane Island - Sam Burgess

Secondly, preparation is an essential aspect of any successful field endeavor. When you’re out on a boat sampling water, you can’t just take a stroll back to the dock house or office to grab any supplies you may have forgotten. I can’t count the number of times I forgot some small step or piece of equipment and proceeded to hinder our research for the day in the form of additional boat trips or wasted time. A good remedy for this is checklists and cheat sheets that summarize what you need to bring on a trip and what you need to do with said equipment. Staging equipment near where they’ll need to be the day before a trip will also significantly increase your preparedness.

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A cute sculpin found near Two Bush - Sam Burgess

Thirdly, teamwork is required for nearly every aspect of science on a small island. Within an island community, everybody has a role to play, and nobody should try to ‘go it alone’ for most tasks. I am grateful for the level of support and teamwork presented by every member of Hurricane Island, and I understand that if each staff member did everything on their own, the island would be significantly less productive, and thoroughly less enjoyable.

Last but not least, a critical aspect of good field work is to enjoy your time outdoors! Especially in the case of Hurricane Island, you should always take time to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds you in the field, and this will help you understand the true reasons why the research you’re performing is important to the earth. The natural world around us is a limited resource, and any time spent in its wonder should be appreciated in the moment.

In summation, performing field work on and around Hurricane Island this summer was an eye-opening experience for me, as I’m sure it will continue to be for other people for years to come. 

Night view of the mess hall - Sam Burgess

One of the crabs caught while snorkeling along the main pier - Sam Burgess

A scaly friend perched on one of the islands countless spruce trees - Sam Burgess

Tilt-Current Meter (TCM)

New Device Deployed on Hurricane Island Experimental Aquaculture Site
Written by Lucy Williams

Figure 1: TCM Deployed on the bottom of our aquaculture site

There is a new data collection device on the Hurricane Island aquaculture site! This summer, the research team acquired a new device for measuring flow speed and direction called a Tilt-Current Meter, or TCM, made by Lowell Instruments, LLC.  The TCM measures flow speed and direction using “drag-tilt principle.” Drag from fluid flowing over the TCM tilts the logger in the direction of the flow. This tilt is measured by the accelerometer and magnetometer in the device. The amount of tilt and direction of tilt are recorded at discrete intervals and this data can be converted into flow speed and direction. TCMs are used all over the globe for measuring flow magnitude of sites for shark research in South Africa, under sea ice in Greenland, in underwater cave systems in Yucatan, and much more. Find out more about other applications here: (https://lowellinstruments.com/applications/)

Figure 2: Plot of near-bottom flow velocity magnitude data collected at the Hurricane Island Aquaculture Site

On Hurricane Island, our research interests are concerned with scallops, and in particular, scallop spawning. Scallops are called broadcast spawners, meaning they release their gametes (eggs and sperm) into the water and hope they find each other to fertilize the egg and develop into larvae. Understanding flow speed and direction at aquaculture and wild scallop sites during the spawning season could provide valuable information about where scallop gametes and larvae go immediately after dispersal. Additionally, given that scallops are filter feeders and rely on fluid flow to feed, future growth and biological studies on our site and at wild sites could utilize the TCM.  Our goal this late summer and early fall is to collect flow speed and direction data during a spawning event on our site. 

Figure 3: Plot of near-surface flow velocity magnitude data collected at the Hurricane Island Aquaculture Site

Our research site is a unique location for flow due to the large tides and the ledges that protect the western and eastern edges. This summer, the research team deployed the TCM in an inverted position from our float at the aquaculture site, which provided near surface velocity data. It was also deployed in a floating position on the bottom (Fig 1). During their life on an aquaculture farm, scallops might experience many different flow speeds at different depths in the water column. Scallops kept in bottom cages (40 ft deep) might experience a different flow regime than those kept in our lantern nets, which are approximately 15 feet below the surface. Our initial deployments show us that our site has higher average flow speeds near the bottom than on the surface. The bottom deployment collected data with a maximum flow speed of 42 cm/s and minimum of 0.07 cm/s (Fig 2) whereas the near-surface deployment returned with a maximum flow speed of 13 cm/s and minimum of 0.25 cm/s (Fig 3). In an idealized, laminar system, we would expect to find slower speeds near the bottom, due to the drag of the ocean floor with higher but not significantly changing flow speeds up the water column. But, the ocean is anything but idealized. The geometry of the site, i.e. the ledges, are no doubt affecting the water flow. Additionally, this data showed us that the flow direction is stronger in the eastern-western directions (Fig 4). 

Fig 4: Plot of TCM Eastern and Western Flow Speed Data for Bottom Deployment on Hurricane Island Aquaculture Site. Note, these are only components of a velocity vector and not not obviously represent the full velocity magnitude.

These deployments tell us what the flow is like on the near-surface and at the bottom. They do not show us what kinds of flow the scallops in the lantern nets are experiencing. The best way to do that would be to deploy the TCM at the depth of the lantern nets. However, this is impossible due to limitations of the device and the requirement for a rigid body for the provided tether to tie to. Instead, we decided to raise TCM by approximately 1 meter using a heavy rigid pole and a custom anchor (Fig 3). Essentially, we cemented the pole into a large box (Fig 4). This anchoring will hopefully catch the flow regimes further up in the water column, without catching significant bottom flow. If the flow is significantly faster in the middle of the water column, we want to know.  The anchor was hauled up in our Carolina Skiff, Speed Square, and slowly lowered into our site. Then, Madison and Sam dove on the anchor to make sure it landed correctly, and tied the TCM to it (Fig 5). In a month, or longer, we will retrieve the TCM and download the data, ho​​pefully having caught a scallop spawning event in that time!

Fig 4: Constructing the anchor for the TCM

There are Plankton on Hurricane Island?

There are Plankton on Hurricane Island?

By Samantha Poratti

It’s a rainy day on Hurricane Island, with fog as far as the eye can see. Many staff may find themselves inside doing computer work. However, you will find one adamant staff member with a microscope in the back corner of the lab, off in their own world exploring fascinating microscopic creatures. These microscopic creatures are called plankton, and they are incredible! Plankton are found in various bodies of water, ranging from fresh to saltwater. They are drifters in the water column, so where they go is dependent on current and tides. Plankton can be classified into two categories, zooplankton and phytoplankton. Zooplankton are animals, while phytoplankton are plants. Zooplankton consume other phytoplankton such as krill, and juvenile forms of scallops or barnacles. While phytoplankton obtain their energy from the sun via photosynthesis. Examples of phytoplankton include Alexandrium spp., Pleurosigma spp., Coscinodiscus spp., etc.  

On Hurricane Island, the research staff participates in a Maine Department of Marine Resource Phytoplankton Volunteer Monitoring Program. This program extends across the whole coastal region of Maine and is conducted weekly by volunteers from April to October. The main goal of the program is to consistently monitor phytoplankton species throughout coastal Maine, for the purpose of being able to detect toxic phytoplankton. Toxic phytoplankton species, such as Alexandrium spp., Dinophysis spp., Pseudo-nitschia spp., etc., can be very harmful in certain concentrations to species that interact or consume them. Toxic phytoplankton can result in Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) or called “Red Tide”, Diarrhetic, Neurotoxic, and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning. In the Gulf of Maine, shellfish that constitute a large aquaculture industry, such as Atlantic scallops (Plactopecten magellanicus) and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), are especially susceptible and are at a high risk to toxic phytoplankton. This is because they have high filtration rates. Meaning, they take in and filter water at faster rates than other species of shellfish. In addition, scallops are very slow to eliminate toxins, unlike other shellfish, because they store these toxins by metabolic processes in other tissues for longer periods of time. So even when there may not be large quantities of toxic phytoplankton currently present in the water column, scallops may be dangerous for humans or other species to consume. This is why it is crucial that there is consistent monitoring of toxic phytoplankton, so that closures and warnings within the shellfish industry can be issued to consumers and harvesters in order to prevent irrevocable damage.

However, for the staff member sitting in the back of the Hurricane Island lab, it is a good day! Not many toxic phytoplankton species are encountered. Instead, Skeletenoma spp., Ceratium longpipes, Navicula spp., and a personal favorite Dictyocha spp. are currently suspended in the water column. By now, hopefully it is apparent that zooplankton and phytoplankton are a unique group of species, but often overlooked. The role they play in the freshwater and marine food webs and within ecosystems, is crucial for the survival of all species. So next time you are in or near a body of water, stop and give a little appreciation to the little guys. They are hard at work! 

Hope for the next generation of Earth stewards - a week with High School Marine Biology

Written by Summer Educator, Keila Flores

The most rewarding thing about environmental education is seeing students be passionate about being Earth stewards, and this week’s group did just that. The Equinox arrived on Sunday morning, a boat carrying precious cargo of bright and curious students ready to begin the High School Marine Biology program. We shared names and pronouns during the welcome circle, and one of the students gave a thoughtful acknowledgement to the fact that we are blessed to be learning and living on land that belongs to the indigenous people of Penobscot Bay. The comment set the tone for the rest of the week, and many science, leadership, and community creating lessons were learned throughout their time on Hurricane Island.

The students hit the ground running. They were tasked to create a research project within small groups. They got to work right away, exploring Hurricane Island’s intertidal zone to find out what they were most curious about. They climbed over algae covered rocks and walked through pools of water, searching for something to spark inspiration. Eventually, each group had a question. They ranged from comparing crab sizes of different species, to finding out what type of habitat Periwinkle snails prefer. Every day, they came back to the intertidal zone to collect more data, vigorously turning over rocks or inspecting what was within their quadrats. Colorful posters were created to display their research, with students excitingly asking staff when they could work on their posters next. They even willingly woke up early a couple of days to continue working on their posters, displaying major dedication. The week ended with the students presenting their posters and explaining their results and how they conducted their research. Each group showed great creativity and work ethic with what they had accomplished.

By the end of the week, we were not just staff and students who happened to be on an island together; we were a community, bonded by our curiosity and respect for nature. Together, we had shared meals, built rafts together, created research projects, discussed what we can do to mitigate climate change, and shared many laughs. Home sickness had gone away, replaced by what one student described as “camp sickness”; a bittersweet feeling that comes at the end of a program, when you have to part with all of your newly made friends. As the Equinox vanished into the horizon, I was overcome with the feeling of hope for the next generation of Earth stewards.

Westcoast Connections

Written by Summer Educator Keila Flores

Maine greeted the Westcoast Connection group with her skies full of rain, showering the students as they huddled together on the deck of the Equinox. The rocky figure of Hurricane Island came into view at last, and the group eagerly shuffled off of the boat and onto the float. Hurricane Island staff rushed to greet them, exchanging smiles and hellos. 

Unlike a lot of groups that come to Hurricane Island, this group had first met when they made their way from Boston to Rockland. Westcoast Connection is an organization that takes students on service trips where they are able to serve different communities while traveling and learning. The students cautiously mingled as they made their way onto land, almost as new to each as they were with this strange little island. After the students nested into their respective cabins, yurts, and bunks and devoured a filling meal created by our cook Phillip, they were whisked away on a sunset hike. The students were led up a winding path, scattered with waves of soft green moss, orange pine needles that quieted their footsteps, and lined with tall Spruce trees dripping with lichen. The trail ended at Sunset Rock, an outlook that is perfect for watching the sun dip behind the horizon. The group sat back and relaxed, taking in the sky together as it changed from blue, to shades of pink and orange.

The eight days that Westcoast spent on the island were full of activities, service projects, games, hikes, and random naps on warm rocks. If you were to be in the vicinity of the mess hall while students were congregating there, you were bound to hear laughter, the shuffling of playing cards, or the strum of a ukulele. Since the island provides us with such a beautiful home, we too must give back to her. Trails and campgrounds were cleared of sticks and twigs, the garden was weeded to perfection, marine debris was picked up off the shore, and some old tent platforms were demolished. Each day spent on Hurricane made the students braver. Students who had previously refused to swim were excited to do pier jumping. I witnessed one student ask if the kelp he found was edible. When he found out it was, he shoved it into his pocket and munched on it periodically throughout the rest of the lesson. The story goes that this same student later found a nice sized invasive green crab along the intertidal pools and took a nice bite out of it. 

As the students gathered on the dock of the Equinox to set off for their next adventure, their demeanors were night and day from when they had first arrived. The boat was full of smiles and conversation, some students already planning on their first reunion. The staff hummed a goodbye tune as the boat was untied and drove away from the island.

Small Scale Aquaculture Technology- Hands on Fabrication

Written by Silas Rogers, Facilities Manager at Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership

I had always been impressed with people who could weld- it was a medium that I had no experience with growing up. My dad worked as a carpenter in the ‘80s, so that was a skillset that I was familiar with. I knew my way around an angle grinder, but that’s only good at cutting metal apart. I have gained a few close fabricator friends over the years, which eventually led me to sign up for an adult-ed beginner stick welding class. This opened my eyes to a whole new medium for design and construction, and it just so happens that it dovetails nicely with the need to custom build tools for small-scale aquaculture. 

Our 24' Carolina Skiff harvesting kelp using the Electra-Dyne pot hauler and aluminum davit.

Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership leases about 3 acres of ocean, just north of the island. We are currently growing cultured sea scallops, and a few different varieties of marine algae (sugar kelp, skinny kelp) for research purposes. All of these species are set up to grow on what we call “long lines,” which are horizontal ropes set up parallel to each other, anchored on four corners by granite moorings. This method has worked well for us, and is common to kelp aquaculture in Maine. Our scallops are grown out to marketable size using a variety of methods, but one technique that has worked well for us are lantern nets, which are suspended mesh tubes with “layers” to separate the scallops in specific densities. This is fairly common with scallop growers in Maine, but servicing this type of heavy long line gear (often lines are as long as 600’, with nets spaced every 8-12’) safely and efficiently takes some special equipment. 

The Lindsey Marie working the long line in Stonington.

Marsden Brewer, a soft-spoken Stonington lobsterman who has diversified into scallop aquaculture, has one of the larger scallop farms in the state. We have partnered with Marsden, his son Bobby, and other local scallop growers for a research initiative over the last year, studying reproductive cycles of scallops. This meant we got to travel to Stonington by boat weekly to collect samples, and watch them work on the long line. Here’s a link to their website to see pictures of Marsden’s youthful glow and their farm. https://www.penbayfarmedscallops.com/

Maine Aquaculture Co-op's star wheel assembly. Note "guide bar" on the bottom.

Marsden started one of the first scallop farms in Maine, and had a significant hand in developing the customized gear to service lantern net long lines, in partnership with Maine SeaGrant’s Dana Morse. He fishes with a 38’ Atkinson Novi, the Lindsey Marie. The boat is set up with a hydraulic mast and boom that covers the entire deck space, which is great for moving gear around. But that’s only part of what makes the boat work well for scallops. He designed a custom rig to work the long lines, owned by the Maine Aquaculture Co-op, of which he is president. He calls it the star wheel rig, using ideas gleaned from observation of Japanese scallop aquaculture and Mediterranean mussel long line aquaculture. There is specialized hardware designed for these industries available, but the gear isn’t made locally, and it’s often for larger boats that are more purpose-built. Sometimes it’s just as hard to adapt existing equipment to what you need as it is to start from scratch. Marsden’s rig is built from a pot hauler backing plate and sheave that allows the boat to lock into the long line. He can then move along it without getting blown off, and raise the lantern nets to be cleaned, sorted, or harvested.. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, so that’s exactly what I set out to do. 

My take on the small scale star wheel started out with the rolling assembly. I chose to go to a local vendor, Marine Hydraulics of Rockland, for a 3” sealed bearing sheave typically used as a fairlead for pot haulers. This got mounted on a piece of 3/16” stainless plate. I used a piece of ⅜” stainless bar as a guide for the lantern nets, a key component to lead the vertical lantern net outboard of the sheave. I cut the “star” of the star wheel out of 3/16” stainless plate, and will weld that to the outboard face of the sheave. Lastly, I needed a way to mount the assembly to the boat, but still have it be easily removable. You can’t have gear hanging over the side as you come alongside other boats or a float, so I devised a system similar to a receiver hitch on a pickup truck. The star wheel assembly is mounted to a slip fit square tube, held in place with a stainless pin. Marsden’s rig is also easily removable- it needs to be that way to transition from scalloping to lobstering, which is often done in the same day.

3" Stainless steel fairlead roller without the star.

Star wheel mockup with wooden sheave and plywood star.

A quick note on fabrication, for those that are interested: After I completed my adult-ed course, I bought a 200amp TIG/Stick welder. It’s a portable inverter-based machine, and it’s more than capable of the majority of work I do. It cost about $1300, but is probably the best investment I have ever made. It makes me money and makes me happy. What more can you ask for? I TIG welded most of this gear together, but stick welding stainless steel is a viable option, and is actually quite forgiving and useful. A 1lb pack of stainless steel stick welding electrodes goes for about $20, and will last you quite a while. 

Using plywood to test different configurations.

I have yet to mock the whole rig up on the boat, which is stored on Vinalhaven for the winter, but I have done some quick-and-dirty bench tests to make sure my efforts might have a chance at working once they’re rigged on the boat. I had to experiment with the size and number of teeth on the “star,” and I used a wooden sheave and plywood stars to test different configurations. To explain the star part of the star wheel further, the gaps between the star “teeth” paired with the guide bar allows the vertically hanging lantern net to pass outboard of the sheave without having to lift it over manually. Without the star and guide bar, the lantern net would want to pass up over the sheave the same way as the long line. 

To come full circle on this whole thing, I’d like to thank everyone who has empowered me to learn to weld and encouraged me to develop it further and put it to good use in the real world application of custom aquaculture gear. I’d like to further encourage anyone and everyone not to be afraid of learning a new skill, maybe something you always thought of as out of reach, as it might set you on a new and exciting path as it has me. Let’s hope this works as well on the water as it does in the shop on land. Stay tuned for more home brewed solutions in the future!

Photos by Silas Rogers

For more information on adult classes offered locally, visit Midcoast School of Technology to learn more.