Dawson teacher hits the high seas

Dawson upper school biology teacher Melissa Barker was invited to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea program earlier this year.

Barker spent two weeks aboard the NOAA fisheries research vessel Oregon II in the Gulf of Mexico, working on the SEAMAP (Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program) Summer Groundfish Survey.

The objective was to monitor the size and distribution of shrimp and groundfish in the Gulf of Mexico. This survey is conducted twice each year, and the data helps scientists monitor trends in shrimp and fish abundance as well as changes over time.

The shrimp data was sent daily to SEAMAP and made available to fisheries managers and shrimpers. The information allows them to make the best decisions about when to re-open the shrimp season, gives shrimp more time to reproduce, grow, and move out of the estuaries without the pressure of constant harvesting.

"NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program gives teachers the professional opportunity of a lifetime with a chance to participate in cutting edge science, on the ocean, working side-by-side with world-renowned scientists,” said Jennifer Hammond, the program’s director.

Now in its 27th year, NOAA received applications from nearly 250 teachers, and chose 30 — including Barker — to participate in research cruises. These educators are able to enrich their curricula with the depth of understanding they gain by living and working side-by-side with scientists studying the marine environment.

Now back in the classroom, Barker is sharing her insights and experience with her biology students. Much of her day-to-day experience can be tied back into topics that are studied in biology, as she saw many examples of marine symbiosis, learned about marine food webs, and had a first-hand encounter with an invasive species such as lionfish.