“Ooh ooh ooh! I discovered a parasite! Bonita!”
– A phrase not normally heard within the fishing harbor of Torsvåg! However this week was removed from the standard fishing enterprise.
Heisann!
We’re Eva and Lea, and we’re marine biology college students within the second semester of our masters diploma.
Since we’re writing our grasp’s theses on the College Museum, we obtained to be part of the fieldwork in Torsvåg (Troms) within the final week of Might.
Welcome to our first sampling journey with the researchers from the College Museum of Bergen and the College of Tromsø!
Torsvåg seen from one of many (smaller) mountains of Vannøya
(Photograph: Lea Dober)
Because the journey was a joint venture by completely different teams that work on completely different phyla, we obtained alternatives to strive a variety of completely different sampling strategies.
Right here is a few our favorites:
- Chasing jellies from piers, à la Pokemon “gotta catch all of them”
- Freediving within the 4°C-cold however crystal-clear water
- Setting sail to deeper waters, sampling at depths as much as 50 m with a seize and 180 m with a plankton web with pure biceps-power (Kudos to all sturdy women and men)
Haul away! Sampling from a ship that – not like our analysis vessels – doesn’t have a winch, meant a superb exercise! Right here’s Eva, Tom and Jon working the seize, and Praveen and Joan with the plankton web. Pictures: Eva Samson, Katrine Kongshavn
A bucket stuffed with pleasure and jellies! (Photograph: Lea Dober)
Following the sampling we additionally spent fairly some hours processing the samples and taking photos within the lab. I (Eva) had my very own little workspace the place I normally helped with sorting the benthic samples, principally specializing in annelids as I’m additionally engaged on these in my thesis. Originally of the week I used to be struggling to even discover worms in between all of the sandgrains. However fortunately I had a variety of specialists sitting in the identical room and serving to me! And little by little, I obtained extra assured in figuring out the frequent households of polychaetes.
Jon, Lea and Tom working within the improvised lab for benthos. Photograph: Katrine Kongshavn
And I (Lea) labored within the gelatinous zooplankton lab, proper subsequent to the polychaete group. There, I helped with sorting zooplankton, checking the jellies for parasites, and taking photos of the specimens. An incredible alternative to get to know extra in regards to the fascinating range of jellies in Norway!
On the finish of the lengthy days, we normally fell proper into mattress and even the midnight solar couldn’t maintain us from falling asleep inside minutes!
our fairly uncommon residence for every week – the Torsvåg lighthouse within the midnight solar! (Photograph: Eva Samson)
Not solely the life underwater had lots to supply, however we had been additionally astonished on the spectacular wildlife above the floor. Otters, reindeer, all types of arctic birds, you identify it…
All in all an unbelievable week for us grasp college students to study all the sphere strategies and work on dwelling specimens – fairly completely different from the mounted materials within the Museum assortment. And an awesome alternative to get to know everyone from the marine invertebrate teams higher!
Lea & Eva