Bell High and South Carleton High – Final Day

Today the students conducted behaviour experiments using the animals they collected throughout the week.  Each pair of students did one of five possible experiments: testing the effect of temperature on the feeding rate of barnacles, determining if size affects the flipping rate of sea stars and sea urchins, measuring the strength of different echinoderm tube feet, looking at the osmoregulation capabilities of different intertidal species, and seeing if different crab species are attracted or repelled by light.  The pairs did a great job completing their experiments and now just have to explain their results, some that were very different than they had hypothesized. 
 
This beautiful, sunny afternoon the group walked into St. Andrews to see the town and shop for souvenirs.    
 
The last activity of the trip for the students will be a bell ringer quiz to see just how much information they absorbed throughout this week of marine immersion.  I hope they are pleasantly surprised!
 
This evening the group heads out on the big red bus, with Ray behind the wheel.  May you have a safe journey!  Come back and visit us again soon!

Counting barnacle cirri extensions in different water temps.

How strong is your sea star?

Intertidal species in different salinities.

This crab does not seem to enjoy the light.

Sea star acrobatics!

Bell High and South Carleton High – Day 4

Thursday morning the students visited Peter, the captain of the whale watching boat, to learn about lobster fishing as he is also a lobster fisherman.  Peter showed the students his traps and talked about the licensing and regulations within the fishery. 
 
Continuing to tour the island the group headed to a family owned facility where seaweeds from the island are processed and sold.  They students were able to sample different species of seaweeds including, dulse and nori.  There weren’t many takers as seaweed can be an acquired taste but some of the students did buy some seaweed to take home, to their parents! 
 
For lunch the students hiked to the Swallowtail Lighthouse for a picnic.  I was a good, clear day so the students had a great view while touring around the lighthouse and having their lunch. 
 
While waiting for the ferry to arrive the students had a presentation on North Atlantic Right Whales by Laurie Murison, from the Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station.  Laurie talked to the students about how these whales became endangered and why their population is still very low.  It was great for the students to talk to Laurie and ask questions since they had just seen a right whale the previous day.      
 
In the afternoon the group caught the ferry and headed back to Needler Hall Residence on the Huntsman campus for the night.

Peter's lobster traps.

Cool house on the walk to Swallowtail.

Swallowtail Lighthouse

Herring weir as viewed from Swallowtail.

Bell High and South Carleton High – Day 3

On Wednesday morning the group boarded their bus and headed to Blacks Harbour to catch the ferry to Grand Manan Island.  While on the ferry the students conducted a transect survey of marine mammals, noting location with the GPS, the direction the animals were moving, the species of whale, and the number seen.  The students had some keen eyes and spotted lots of porpoises.
 
While on the island the group had lunch at the Anchorage Provincial Park and walked on the beautiful sandy beach.  Washed up on the beach the students found some giant seaweed that was even taller than some of the students.  The group also went to Southwest Head at the end of the island.  Here the students hiked along the beautiful cliffs and had some great views of the Bay of Fundy as there was no fog.  One of the students on the trip has family on Grand Manan and visits frequently so he acted as tour guide while the bus was driving through the different communities of the island. 
 
In the afternoon the group boarded the Day’s Catch with Peter and Durlan to head out in the bay in search of whales.  The group got to spend some time with a lone North Atlantic Right Whale which is very exciting as there are less than 500 of these whales left in the ocean so seeing on is special. 
 
After a great day of touring the island the group settled in at the Surfside Motel for the night. 
      

Hiking at Southwest Head.

The cliffs along the hiking trail.

View of the island.

The beautiful right whale.

Bell High and South Carleton High – Day 2

Yesterday low tide was mid-morning so the students and teachers got to spend the whole morning on two local beaches.  The first beach that we visited was Indian Point, a mixed habitat intertidal zone with lots of rocks and seaweed.  Armed with buckets the groups headed down the beach to see what animals inhabit this area when the tide goes out.  Upon moving the seaweed and lifting the rocks, the students found a great diversity of animals including, sea stars, urchins, sideswimmers, and green crabs.  
 
After a quick stop in St. Andrews to get snacks from the grocery store and use the facilities the group headed to Pottery Creek, a muddy intertidal zone.  Here the students added shovels to their equipment and quickly went to the bottom of the beach as the tide was starting to come in.  The hunt was on for who could find the greatest diversity of worms and the longest worm.  The students found red-lined worms, ribbon worms, and bamboo worms.  The longest worm discovered was a 2 ½ foot blood worm!  Great job Parker!
 
In the afternoon the students were in the lab studying the invertebrates they had collected while on the research vessel and beaches.  The students had to draw, describe and ID five animals from different phyla.  Some of the animals the students worked with were sponges, anemones, hermit crabs, scallops (careful, they splash!), urchins, and some of the worms collected earlier in the day.  The students really enjoyed being able to see the animals moving around in the specimen bowls.
 
To finish the afternoon the students gathered in the aquarium theatre for a presentation on lobsters.  They were a great audience with lots of questions.  The highlight of the presentation was getting to see and take pictures of Pinchy the lobster.  Also, one of the lobsters in the aquarium had moulted the previous night so the students were able to see the lobster in the tank, with its moulted exoskeleton.  Pretty cool!
 
In the evening the group had a short presentation on whales of the Bay of Fundy.  During the presentation the students were shown how to ID the different whale species they may see when whale watching later in the week. 
 
Today the group has headed to Grand Manan for a couple of days to tour the island and its industries and go whale watching.  Let’s hope the weather and the whales cooperate!         

Exploring the intertidal zone.

Found a moon snail!

Lots of life under the rocks on the beach.

On the hunt for worms.

Tracey showing the students the blood worm proboscis.

Now that is a worm!  Wow!

A hermit crab and a scale worm posing for their portraits.

Drawing, describing and IDing a scallop.

a northern red anemone

Bell High and South Carleton High – Day 1

Last night grade 11 and 12 students from South Carleton and Bell High schools arrived late on campus after a long bus ride from Ottawa.  They quickly got settled into Needler Hall Residence to get some rest before their big first day of marine biology.
 
Today the students were divided into three groups to tour the Fundy Discovery Aquarium, go on the Huntsman research vessel, the Fundy Spray, and study plankton in the lab.  While touring the aquarium the students were able to see the harbour seals, Loki and Snorkel, the new seahorse exhibit, and lobsters of many shapes and sizes.  They were also able to touch skates and different marine invertebrates, such as sea cucumbers and sea stars, which was pretty exciting!
 
Despite the wind blowing pretty hard down the river the trips out on the Fundy Spray were great!  The students collected plankton, counted and sorted invertebrates brought up from the ocean floor with the scallop drag, and used equipment, such as the salinometer and Secchi disc to gather data about the ocean water.  A great diversity of animals was collected using the scallop drag including urchins, scale worms, brittle stars, crabs, and sea peaches.  One of the groups even caught a lobster!  Too bad we had to throw it back.  But not all was lost in the seafood department as the students all had the chance to try freshly caught scallop.  Quite a few were brave and tried it, with a couple even coming back for seconds! 
 
While at the Huntsman the students study the creatures they collect themselves, and their first opportunity to do this was in the plankton lab.  The students used the microscopes to view diatoms, dinoflagellates, and zooplankton, such as copepods.  They also got to see and touch a sample of Right Whale baleen, which allows the whales to feed on the microscopic copepods.    
 
The students all seemed to have a great day and are looking forward to our beach excursions tomorrow morning.

Studying plankton.

Collecting plankton.

Scallop drag onboard the Fundy Spray.

scallop

Using the salinometer.

Reading on the salinometer (brrrr, the water is cold!).

Lobster pulled up in the scallop drag.

Ottawa Catholic High Schools – Final Day

This morning the students arrived at the lab bright and early to start their invertebrate behaviour labs.  The three labs that were being conducted by different groups were: 1) the effect of temperature on the feeding rate of barnacles, 2) osmoregulation in marine organisms, and 3) the flipping rate of different sizes of sea stars.  The students learned that working with live animals can be interesting and challenging! 
 
Then the students did a bell ringer quiz to test just how much knowledge they had retained from their week of immersion into marine biology.  Can you name any two structures of the sea star and explain their function?  Hopefully the students can because that is one of the questions on the quiz. 
 
The students then headed into St. Andrews to go to church, have a picnic lunch, and visit town while all the shops are open for some last minute souvenir shopping.
 
After supper the students will board the bus for the long trip back to Ottawa.  Thank you all for a wonderful week.  We hope you have a safe trip home.  Come visit us again!  

Sea star acrobatics!

Green crab in different salinities.

Counting the cirri extensions of barnacles.

Ottawa Catholic High Schools – Day 4

Saturday the students were excited to board the whale watching boat, the Day's Catch, with Peter and Durlan and head out into the Bay of Fundy.  They were able to view humpback whales, a right whale, porpoises, lots of seabirds, and even a little Oven bird that landed on the back of the boat for a rest before taking off again.  It was a great trip and having the hot chocolate made it even better!
 
While on the ferry the group got the chance to head into the wheel house to meet the captain and crew and see all the computers and radars that help run the ship.
 
The group had a really good trip to the island!    

The Day's Catch at the wharf.

Two humpbacks

Humpback fluke

Swallowtail lighthouse as seen from the ferry.

Inside the wheel house of the ferry.

View from the wheel house.

Ottawa Catholic High Schools – Day 3

With their lunch and warm clothes packed on the bus the group headed out early Friday morning to catch the ferry to Grand Manan Island.  After boarding the ferry the students kept an eye out for any signs of whales but unfortunately it was just too foggy to see very much.  Upon arrival on the island the group had a short hike up to the Swallowtail Lighthouse where they had their lunch.
 
The afternoon was filled with activities exploring life on the island.  The group visited a shop that processes and sells different types of seaweed that are collected on the shorelines of the island.  The students were able to sample some of the seaweeds, including dulse and nori.  Then the group visited the Gaskin Museum of Marine Life where they viewed porpoise skeletons, the bones of a humpback flipper, jars filled with marine organisms, seabird specimens, and a tuna skull.  The museum also has a great gift shop so the students took advantage of that and picked up some souvenirs.  To finish off the afternoon the students visited the captain of the whale watching boat who is also a lobster fisherman.  He gave the students a demonstration on lobster traps and how they work. 

In the evening Laurie Murison from the Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station gave a presentation to the students about whale research that occurs in the waters around the island.  She talked about the endangered North Atlantic Right Whales and some of the issues the population is facing, including ship strikes, and entanglement.
 
The group stayed on the island for the night at the Whale Camp dreaming of all the whales they would see the next day.    

Keeping a watch for whales while on the ferry.

Swallowtail Lighthouse in the fog.

A herring weir.

The students with Peter checking out the lobster traps.

Seaweed samples...yum!

At the museum.

Ottawa Catholic High Schools – Day 2

This morning while waiting for the tide to go out the students visited the teaching lab to study the invertebrates they had collected while on the Fundy Spray yesterday.  They loved being able to get close to the animals and see them moving about in the tanks and dishes.  Although it can be tough to draw a moving specimen, the students did a great job.
 
Later in the morning the group, armed with buckets, headed to Indian Point, a huge intertidal zone on the other side of St. Andrews.  The group searched under rocks and seaweed to find all of the animals that were hiding while the tide is out.  They found green crabs, sideswimmers, periwinkles, barnacles, and even some sea urchins and sea stars.
 
After a yummy lunch at Anderson House the group visited another intertidal zone to search for the invasive green crabs.  When a crab was found its carapace was measured, it was flipped over to determine if it was a male or female, and it was marked with a spot of nail polish.  The students learned one of the reasons these crabs are successful invasive species is because they are aggressive!  Hold them carefully!
 
Then as the tide started to come in the group went to the lab to study echinoderms and learn about the water vascular system.  The students did some drawings of the oral and aboral sides of sea stars and urchins.  Using the microscopes they found different parts of the animals, such as the madreporite and the pedicellariae, which they labeled on their drawings.  There are some artists in the group!     
 
To finish out the afternoon I talked to the students about the King of the Crustaceans – The American Lobster.  Unfortunately, this presentation did not have a tasting portion but the group did enjoy seeing our live demo lobster, Pinchy.
 
In the evening the group had a short presentation about whales in the Bay of Fundy to help them prepare for their whale watching trip to Grand Manan Island.  They saw pictures of whales other groups have seen and learned how to ID the different species.
 
Tomorrow the group leaves bright and early to catch the ferry to the island.  Good luck and hope you see lots of whales!

Some of the great drawings of the collected invertebrates.

Drawing and describing a scallop.

scale worm

Hunting for crabs...

...found one!

Echinoderms under the microscope.

 

Pinchy!