Protecting Our Oceans
Written By Olivia Throssell
“We know that when we protect our oceans we’re protecting our future.” – Bill Clinton
More than 60% of the world's population lives by the ocean, relying on it to survive (“One World One”). Humans, and even more so, ocean dwelling animals need pristine water to survive. Katherine Carroll is a University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) Senior getting her degree in Marine Science with a minor in chemistry and a certificate in the Marine Option Program. Carroll spent the summer to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With this experience she hopes to fulfill her goals of protecting the ocean and the animals that live within it.
UH Hilo Senior and Marine Science major, Katherine Carroll. Photo courtesy of Katherine Carroll.
“My internship was with the Mississippi laboratories in Pascagoula MS. The lab is part of the (NOAA) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). I worked for the harvesting department on a project involving the marine mammal stranding networks and sea turtle stranding networks for the southeast region of the USA. The southeast region extends from north Carolina through florida to texas and the Caribbean. the main goal of the project was to determine if there was a common cause of human interaction in marine mammals and sea turtles that strand in the region.”
Carroll feels that this internship has opened her eyes to the dangers of commercial fishing. She learned that the regulations that have been put in place greatly help to preserve commercial fisheries. However, she feels that the fisherman who break these laws are not receiving punishment. Through the many projects she did during her internship, Carroll learned of dangers of commercial fishing. Carroll participated in a study that included testing the use of a turtle excluder device (TED), a specialized device that allows sea turtles to escape trawling nets. The experiment they conducted was completed in Panama City, Florida. During this time, Carroll saw how the NOAA facilities in Galveston, Texas cares for over 200 loggerhead sea turtles that were raised in captivity. She was amazed at the age ranges! One was over 70 years and others were at least 200 years old. There, Carroll learned how to feed, clean and properly handle the turtles. These projects was done in the hopes to mitigate human interaction and its involvement in strandings for both sea turtles and marine mammals.
Shrimp trawlers in the Gulf of Mexico handling trawl nets and turtle excluder devices. Photo courtesy of Katherine Carroll.
“After this internship I could see myself working for NOAA and working on a ship like the O2 would be a dream. This internship has most definitely made me consider trying for a job with NOAA and continuing on to grad school to earn a master's degree.”
It was not all full of crazy research though! “My favorite part of the internship was being on the O2 (NOAA ship Oregon II or the O2 as we nicknamed it).” For Carroll, bonding with the other interns was the most fun. In the evening, they would eat a delicious dinner followed by a movie night, all while being in the middle of the ocean. She learned an incredible amount of different species of fishes and invertebrates as well as getting hands on experiences, like sexing a fish or a shrimp, in the labs, which she never thought she would do!
“It was such an opportunity to talk to the other scientists about what work they were doing for NOAA and how they liked working there and about grad school and what I should do after college. They were all really helpful and I got to meet many scientists from the lab that I would not have had the opportunity were we not on the ship for a week together.”
Carroll stated that this internship has really helped her network with contractors and NOAA employees which will be beneficial in her future. It also helped her see the different types of fields within Marine Science that are not available in Hawaii. Carroll hopes to apply what she has learned during her internship to her work here in Hawaii for her senior thesis and her future endeavors in Marine Science.
For more information about the scholarship and how you can apply, please visit the NOAA Ernest F. Hollings scholarship website. It is a 2 year scholarship with NOAA where you spend the summer at the internship of your choice. The scholarship is available to almost any major and 100 people across the country are chosen each year. To apply you must be in the 2nd year of a 4 year program or the 3rd year of a 5 year program.
