8/22/2014 #2: Set the anchor. Oh, its our dredge...

View Heading Back in to the Sjohus

Will, Aubrey, Rob, and I had luck in the small boat. Were able to accomplish our mission of collecting >100 shallow water (4-7 meter depth) clams. We found that in 10-15 meters, our dredge served as an excellent kelp harvester. In 3 meters it could rival an excavator for pure sand collection. However, in 4-7 meters depth it would anchor itself in the sand, cause us to look like fools with our boat just doing circles around the surface buoy on the dredge, and somehow come up with loads of clams. My theory is that it slowly worked itself into the sand due to our throttle persistence…and anyone watching us from shore was reconsidering funding for the Norwegian Tourist Bureau. 

Rob getting ready to pounce on the dredge line

When we returned the clams were offloaded and everyone was psyched to have so much to work with. The big boat had trouble today coming up with material/clams from the deep waters but the plan is to send two boats out tomorrow to double the effort. Keeping this short on words but big on multimedia content, here are some videos of the process documenting today's efforts. 

Rob getting ready to haul in the dredge. Me bumbling through narration…

Aubrey actually hauling it in…an undergraduate earns her wings.

Rob working through the samples recovered in the dredge. These are all live clams that will be used to compare their growth to modern environmental conditions.

O' Captain, Our Captain