On April 24th, Kristen’10 and I boarded the R/V Shearwater to begin oceanographic surveys around Santa Barabara Island. The R/V Shearwater is the research vessel of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The purpose of this project is to assess the seabird distributions around Santa Barbara Island and the physical propoerties of the ocean as well as the food available to the seabirds. We are particularly interested in the Xantus’ murrelet, a small seabird that nests on only a few islands in Southern California and Mexico.
R/V Shearwater and the awesome Captain, crew and staff. From left to right Terrence (Operator), Dani (Research Specialist), Charlie (mate) and Reg (mate)