WEBVTT

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[Shannon Ricles] Right, well, hi everyone.

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We really want to thank you today for joining us

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for our webinar on Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

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I'm Shannon Ricles, I'm the Education

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and Outreach Coordinator

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for Monitor and Mallows Bay

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National Marine Sanctuary,

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and I'm gonna be your host today.

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And joining me today is also Mark Losavio,

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the Media and Outreach Coordinator

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for Monitor and Mallows Bay

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National Marine Sanctuary.

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This webinar is brought to you by

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NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

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in collaboration with the North Carolina

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Office of State Archeology.

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Now, partnering since 1975,

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NOAA and the state of North Carolina

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work to research, honor and protect

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the hallmarks of North Carolina's

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underwater cultural heritage - shipwrecks.

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These shipwrecks hold information about the ever-changing

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technologies and cultural and physical landscapes.

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They serve as a uniquely accessible

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underwater museum and a memorial

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to generations of mariners who lived, died, worked,

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and fought off our shores.

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This is one of the many webinars

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we will be hosting in the coming month for

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the Submerged North Carolina webinar series,

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in collaboration with the

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North Carolina Office of State Archeology.

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Now, Monitor is just one of 15

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national marine sanctuaries

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and two marine national monuments

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in the National Marine Sanctuary System.

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The system encompasses more than

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620,000 square miles of marine

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and Great Lakes waters from Washington State

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to the Florida Keys,

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and from Lake Huron to American Samoa.

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Now during the presentation

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all attendees will be in listen-only mode.

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You are welcome to type questions for the presenters

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into the question box at the bottom

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of your control panel,

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on the right-hand side of your screen.

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This is the same area you can let us know

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about any technical issues that you

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might be having and that we can help you with.

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We'll be monitoring the incoming questions

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and technical issues and we'll respond

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just as quickly as we can.

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We are recording this session and we will share

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a recording with the registered participants

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via the webinar archive page,

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and a URL for this webpage will be provided

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at the end of the presentation.

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So today we welcome Ben Prueitt,

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the Outreach and Social Media Coordinator for Gray's Reef.

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And we really want to thank you today, Ben, for joining us.

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And I'm gonna turn it over to you.

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I'll change presenters

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and you should now have the screen.

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[Ben Prueitt] Not that one, all right.

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I thought I'd be good at this, but.

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Let's see, PowerPoint show.

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Is this it?

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<v ->There you go.</v>
<v ->There it is.</v>

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All right, second verse same as the first.

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Well, Shannon and Mark, thank you so much

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for hosting me and Gray's Reef

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National Marine Sanctuary here at the

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Submerged North Carolina webinar series.

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I've got a number of slides for you today,

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I'm super excited.

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As Shannon mentioned, my name is Ben Prueitt.

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I'm the Outreach and Social Media Coordinator,

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as well as the Volunteer Coordinator

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at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

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As Shannon also mentioned,

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Gray's Reef is just down the coast

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of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

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So as the red arrow showed earlier, just down the coast,

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just a few hundred miles south

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from Monitor is Gray's Reef.

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Our offices are located in Savannah, Georgia.

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And if you ever wanted to take a trip to Savannah,

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I would recommend that the best time would be

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on October 15th and the following week,

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because we are opening our new

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Gray's Reef Ocean Discovery Center in downtown.

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Our ribbon cutting and dedication

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for this center is Saturday, October 15th

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from 2:00 to 3:00 PM and then the following week

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we're gonna have a number of

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opportunities to explore the sanctuary

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and to...

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learn about some free programs,

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free giveaways, public programs, family activities.

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Having some issues with my slides.

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Just other activities

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and virtual dives and more.

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So we have three themes as part of the visitor center,

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explore, connect, and discover.

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And this is
(inaudible)

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what is going to lead us through our presentation

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and our webinar today.

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When it comes to "explore",

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we're gonna look and see what is actually

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at the sanctuary and what factors

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make the sanctuary what it is

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and the reef what it is.

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When it comes to "connect",

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we're gonna talk about how people

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connect with the sanctuary.

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And "discover" is talking about what we know about

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the sanctuary in terms of scientific research.

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And not only the sanctuary,

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but our offshore waters,

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our South Atlantic Bight

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and continuing on into larger scales.

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Before I get started, I did wanna

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recognize the work of the late Greg McFall.

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A number of the pictures that you'll see today

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were taken through Greg's lens

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and through Greg's eye.

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Greg was an accomplished diver

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and underwater photographer.

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Greg was the research coordinator and superintendent

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at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary

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in the late 2000s, before becoming the director

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of the NOAA Dive Center.

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For me, as a fellow underwater photographer,

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I don't think without Greg's work and effort

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at Gray's Reef that people would see

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the beauty that is truly down there,

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and some of the beauty that we'll see today

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through these pictures.

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So let's get started.

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Let's start off by exploring what's at the sanctuary.

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So first, before we get into actually getting underwater

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and virtually getting our feet wet, if you will,

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I wanted to orient us to where we are on the coast.

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So here we have the Southeast United States,

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and then in these two red dots are the locations

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of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

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off the coast of North Carolina,

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and then the red square,

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which is where Gray's Reef is approximately located.

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And the big difference that I see in this map

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is not only how far south Gray's Reef is from Monitor,

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but also how far west Gray's Reef is from Monitor.

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We're part of the South Atlantic Bight,

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which is a very large curve from

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Cape Hatteras, North Carolina,

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down to Cape Canaveral.

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And the dynamics and oceanography

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of the waters in this bight

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have a large influence on the life

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that lives at Gray's Reef

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and why it's there in the first place.

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Gray's Reef is a dynamic and ever-changing environment,

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one day we can have clear waters and the next day

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it can be turbid, cloudy waters.

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And they all depend on mainly these

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three factors of rivers, currents, and tides.

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Coastal Georgia, which has about 100 miles

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of coastline, has five coastal rivers.

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Starting from the north, we have the Savannah River,

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moving south, the Ogeechee River,

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closest to the sanctuary is the mighty Altamaha,

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which flows much of the state of Georgia,

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the Satilla River,

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and the St. Mary's River.

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These rivers provide nutrient-rich waters

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for the coastal environments

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and the marshes off of our coasts,

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which, the marshes act sometimes as nurseries

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for many of the fish and other invertebrates

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and life that live out at Gray's Reef.

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The next factor is ocean currents

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and mainly the Gulf Stream Current,

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which comes approximately 80 miles east

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of where the sanctuary is.

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So it's a warm-water current coming up

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from the Caribbean along the East Coast

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of the United States and into the North Atlantic.

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We're not directly over the-

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Or under, I guess, the Gulf Stream,

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but we are about 80 miles west of it,

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and we do get some tropical species that come

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and kind of maybe make a pit stop

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off at Gray's Reef as part of this maybe migration

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or potentially getting lost.

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And lastly, I wanted to talk about tides.

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Because Gray's Reef is so far west

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in that South Atlantic Bight,

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we have a very large tidal range.

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Our tidal range is between seven and eight feet,

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which means that there's a lot of moving,

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a lot of water moving on a regular basis

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in and out of the marshes,

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in and out of the rivers and across Gray's Reef.

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And that contributes to that dynamic,

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ever-changing environment that we see there.

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In terms of what's at the bottom,

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we are what's known as a live-bottom reef,

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or a hard-bottom reef,

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which is different than,

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and not like the coral reefs that you

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may be familiar with in the Florida Keys,

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the Great Barrier Reef.

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Our reef is not based off of corals,

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off of hard corals and built by corals,

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it's made out of sandstone that was deposited

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millions of years ago

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and over time the sea level has risen and fallen

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to create the environment that we have today.

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This illustration at the top

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shows a number of slopes, troughs,

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valleys and ledges that

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show the variety of

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just where animals can live

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and survive and thrive at Gray's Reef.

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On the bottom we see a couple examples of these,

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Gray's Reef both has live-bottom ledges

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like you see on the left,

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but it also has a number of patchy, sandy areas,

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which makes up a majority of the sanctuary,

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but not really too much to write about

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because it is just sand.

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These environments, these live-bottom habitats,

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are very similar to those seen off of North Carolina

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in maybe a similar depth,

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the ones off of North Carolina are

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a little bit deeper,

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but they look very similar,

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they have a similar habitat,

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similar life that's living there.

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And when I first learned to scuba dive

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off the coast of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg,

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I learned on live-bottom reefs.

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So when I started diving at Gray's Reef

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just a few months ago, I got down there

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and was like, "Huh, these look pretty familiar,"

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because they are.

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Live-bottom reefs are found throughout

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the Atlantic coast as well as places

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in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Gray's Reef is an ocean oasis

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with a diversity of marine life.

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And I love this picture because sometimes

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you might think that it's staged,

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with Greg putting this sea star on top

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of that sponge there and putting

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that fish exactly there,

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but the amazing thing that I find in this picture

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is that everything besides the sand

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and the water is alive and living.

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It's part of life and it's part of

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the ecosystem at Gray's Reef.

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So in terms of maps or charts,

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we have this nautical chart here

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and that doesn't really tell us too much.

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It tells us what the depth is and where

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the research area is,

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that's that red rectangle at the southern third,

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and we'll get into that later in the presentation.

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00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:37.290
But what it doesn't tell us is

271
00:11:37.290 --> 00:11:38.793
what's actually down there.

272
00:11:40.101 --> 00:11:41.100
Are we looking at sand?

273
00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:43.320
Are we looking at more hard-bottom?

274
00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:45.930
So through a number of multi-beam

275
00:11:45.930 --> 00:11:49.240
acoustic mapping efforts

276
00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:54.510
researchers have come up with this benthic cover map.

277
00:11:54.510 --> 00:11:57.750
We have oranges and tans as our sands,

278
00:11:57.750 --> 00:12:00.390
two different types of sands in this one in particular,

279
00:12:00.390 --> 00:12:04.530
and then those blue patches are live bottom habitats.

280
00:12:04.530 --> 00:12:05.763
So as you can see,

281
00:12:06.630 --> 00:12:09.310
the sand covers a majority of the sanctuary

282
00:12:10.680 --> 00:12:14.703
and it shows just, you know, kind of,

283
00:12:15.780 --> 00:12:17.880
sand is just always moving at Gray's Reef

284
00:12:17.880 --> 00:12:20.670
from tides and currents that I described earlier.

285
00:12:20.670 --> 00:12:24.000
And in my eyes, the sand kind of acts like a wildfire

286
00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.250
or a prescribed burn for parts of the sanctuary

287
00:12:26.250 --> 00:12:27.840
and other live-bottoms

288
00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:29.730
because it covers old-

289
00:12:29.730 --> 00:12:31.470
Or, excuse me, it...,

290
00:12:31.470 --> 00:12:35.820
yes, covers old growth but also exposes new

291
00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:37.860
live-bottom and hard rocky areas,

292
00:12:37.860 --> 00:12:39.720
which things can attach to

293
00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:42.270
and start creating a new environment.

294
00:12:42.270 --> 00:12:46.200
And this picture in particular is of a guitarfish,

295
00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.933
which is a rare find for some of these divers.

296
00:12:52.260 --> 00:12:54.000
In terms of live-bottom,

297
00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:56.790
there are two types of live-bottom that we describe.

298
00:12:56.790 --> 00:13:01.320
One is a low-relief or sparsely colonized live-bottom.

299
00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:02.550
This is the most common type

300
00:13:02.550 --> 00:13:04.290
of live-bottom at the sanctuary,

301
00:13:04.290 --> 00:13:05.940
and it's a place where invertebrate animals

302
00:13:05.940 --> 00:13:07.983
are able to attach to the rocky bottom.

303
00:13:09.870 --> 00:13:11.790
And what divers are always looking for

304
00:13:11.790 --> 00:13:15.270
is the magnificent ledges, outcroppings,

305
00:13:15.270 --> 00:13:16.110
those sorts of things,

306
00:13:16.110 --> 00:13:18.873
which are these darker blue squiggles.

307
00:13:20.970 --> 00:13:22.980
These magnificent ledges sometimes rise

308
00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:25.140
up to six feet above the sea floor

309
00:13:25.140 --> 00:13:27.420
and produce ample habitat for many of

310
00:13:27.420 --> 00:13:30.033
the species that live, or visit the sanctuary.

311
00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:36.183
So Mark, if you will, we have a sound clip,

312
00:13:37.110 --> 00:13:38.670
go ahead and get that prepared.

313
00:13:38.670 --> 00:13:40.890
But before we get into the sites of Gray's Reef,

314
00:13:40.890 --> 00:13:44.276
I wanted to use our ears and play some sounds

315
00:13:44.276 --> 00:13:47.430
of what the reef sounds like on a typical day.

316
00:13:47.430 --> 00:13:49.620
And once this clip starts, you'll hear

317
00:13:49.620 --> 00:13:51.540
some high pitch crackling as well as

318
00:13:51.540 --> 00:13:52.790
some low pitched humming.

319
00:13:55.658 --> 00:13:58.991
(crackling and humming)

320
00:14:08.994 --> 00:14:11.203
(crackling and humming)

321
00:14:11.203 --> 00:14:13.703
(sound stops)

322
00:14:19.975 --> 00:14:22.909
Okay, let me see if I can get this back, there we go.

323
00:14:22.909 --> 00:14:25.076
All right, thank you Mark.

324
00:14:26.146 --> 00:14:30.000
So as you heard, there were some high pitched cracklings

325
00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:31.260
and low pitched hummings,

326
00:14:31.260 --> 00:14:33.300
and these are all coming from animals.

327
00:14:33.300 --> 00:14:36.033
These animals make a chorus of life heard at the reef.

328
00:14:37.050 --> 00:14:41.340
Animals mainly communicate in order to

329
00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:43.680
communicate about food, reproduction,

330
00:14:43.680 --> 00:14:45.120
predators or shelters.

331
00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:46.890
Those four things are probably the main thing

332
00:14:46.890 --> 00:14:49.110
that they are concerned about in the life

333
00:14:49.110 --> 00:14:51.513
of a fish or the life of a marine animal.

334
00:14:52.710 --> 00:14:54.810
That high pitch snapping that you heard is

335
00:14:54.810 --> 00:14:59.810
actually from the, rightfully named, snapping shrimp.

336
00:15:00.660 --> 00:15:03.990
My colleague Ally likens these to the castanets

337
00:15:03.990 --> 00:15:05.550
or maracas in a band,

338
00:15:05.550 --> 00:15:08.010
'cause they're constantly just thousands of these

339
00:15:08.010 --> 00:15:11.220
shrimp just kind clacking something on there,

340
00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:13.290
I'm not exactly sure which part of their body,

341
00:15:13.290 --> 00:15:15.813
but making that high pitched crackling.

342
00:15:16.710 --> 00:15:19.860
If we continue the musical analogy,

343
00:15:19.860 --> 00:15:21.480
on a lower register you have that

344
00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:24.543
grunting and that comes from an oyster toadfish.

345
00:15:25.650 --> 00:15:28.410
Oyster toadfish, again, are making these noises

346
00:15:28.410 --> 00:15:32.250
in order to alert about predators.

347
00:15:32.250 --> 00:15:34.680
Say, "Hey, there's food over here,"

348
00:15:34.680 --> 00:15:37.373
find shelter or to reproduce.

349
00:15:37.373 --> 00:15:40.290
This main picture is an odd one

350
00:15:40.290 --> 00:15:42.690
because we don't normally see the oyster toadfish

351
00:15:42.690 --> 00:15:44.100
out on the sand like this,

352
00:15:44.100 --> 00:15:45.720
they're normally tucked away,

353
00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:46.710
like what you see here,

354
00:15:46.710 --> 00:15:48.180
and it's really just their heads

355
00:15:48.180 --> 00:15:51.300
and they're lips pointing out

356
00:15:51.300 --> 00:15:54.360
and some of their camouflage really

357
00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.220
makes for a difficult time to see them,

358
00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:57.053
but when you see them

359
00:15:57.053 --> 00:15:59.613
it's quite funny to find them.

360
00:16:02.010 --> 00:16:04.500
So, for the next few slides I wanted to

361
00:16:04.500 --> 00:16:06.510
just go into some of the common species

362
00:16:06.510 --> 00:16:07.890
that we see at Gray's Reef.

363
00:16:07.890 --> 00:16:10.590
And the first one I wanted to talk about fish,

364
00:16:10.590 --> 00:16:14.400
and I don't think any trip to Gray's Reef is complete

365
00:16:14.400 --> 00:16:16.050
without seeing these fish here.

366
00:16:16.050 --> 00:16:18.180
These are Atlantic spadefish,

367
00:16:18.180 --> 00:16:19.920
and us divers call them the

368
00:16:19.920 --> 00:16:22.410
welcoming party of Gray's Reef.

369
00:16:22.410 --> 00:16:24.150
They are found on almost every dive

370
00:16:24.150 --> 00:16:26.070
and sometimes swirl around you

371
00:16:26.070 --> 00:16:28.170
in just a number of, you know,

372
00:16:28.170 --> 00:16:29.670
looking to see what you're doing down there.

373
00:16:29.670 --> 00:16:31.710
So, on behalf of the spadefish

374
00:16:31.710 --> 00:16:33.810
and staff here at Gray's Reef,

375
00:16:33.810 --> 00:16:36.260
welcome to Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

376
00:16:40.020 --> 00:16:42.330
Some of the resident fishes that we have around the

377
00:16:42.330 --> 00:16:45.840
sanctuary include larger fish like scamp grouper

378
00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:46.803
in the upper left.

379
00:16:47.760 --> 00:16:49.530
On the upper right are black sea bass,

380
00:16:49.530 --> 00:16:51.390
which are one of the more common fish

381
00:16:51.390 --> 00:16:53.320
that we see and one of the

382
00:16:54.309 --> 00:16:56.430
more common predators that we see,

383
00:16:56.430 --> 00:17:00.513
they're a predatory fish eating smaller fish.

384
00:17:01.710 --> 00:17:03.540
In the bottom left we have Tomtate,

385
00:17:03.540 --> 00:17:05.940
these Tomtate often come in schools

386
00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:10.203
and school similar to the Atlantic spadefish.

387
00:17:11.310 --> 00:17:13.560
And then of course, since we're in the ocean,

388
00:17:13.560 --> 00:17:14.790
we have sharks.

389
00:17:14.790 --> 00:17:17.010
Our most common shark that we see are nurse sharks,

390
00:17:17.010 --> 00:17:18.910
like what you see in the bottom right.

391
00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:23.370
We also have a number of visitors to

392
00:17:23.370 --> 00:17:25.270
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

393
00:17:26.130 --> 00:17:27.420
One of our-

394
00:17:27.420 --> 00:17:29.460
Just a couple stories here.

395
00:17:29.460 --> 00:17:32.820
These visitor fish, I kind of think

396
00:17:32.820 --> 00:17:35.730
of Savannah being similar to Gray's Reef

397
00:17:35.730 --> 00:17:38.700
in that on I-95, people might make a pit stop

398
00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:41.190
in Savannah on their way south or north,

399
00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:44.010
and in the Atlantic Ocean,

400
00:17:44.010 --> 00:17:46.320
fish or other migrating animals

401
00:17:46.320 --> 00:17:48.060
might make a pit stop at Gray's Reef

402
00:17:48.060 --> 00:17:51.903
on their journey north or migrations south.

403
00:17:52.770 --> 00:17:55.080
So I see a similarity in the two,

404
00:17:55.080 --> 00:17:56.507
both the city and where people live,

405
00:17:56.507 --> 00:17:59.610
and then where all of these marine animals live.

406
00:17:59.610 --> 00:18:01.852
I wanted to share an interesting story about

407
00:18:01.852 --> 00:18:03.870
this tiger shark,

408
00:18:03.870 --> 00:18:06.033
or these tiger sharks on the bottom right.

409
00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:11.220
After a decade of tracking animals along the East Coast,

410
00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:13.320
a single tagged tiger shark,

411
00:18:13.320 --> 00:18:14.787
like what you see in the bottom right,

412
00:18:14.787 --> 00:18:16.680
was identified at Gray's Reef

413
00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:18.510
for three consecutive years,

414
00:18:18.510 --> 00:18:20.070
and in each of those years

415
00:18:20.070 --> 00:18:23.250
it was within a week of the year prior,

416
00:18:23.250 --> 00:18:25.260
almost as if it had a travel agent

417
00:18:25.260 --> 00:18:26.910
or was looking at a calendar of when

418
00:18:26.910 --> 00:18:29.978
it was traveling through the sanctuary

419
00:18:29.978 --> 00:18:32.100
on an annual migration.

420
00:18:32.100 --> 00:18:34.200
So it's trends like these that our researchers

421
00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:37.593
are looking to understand using novel technologies.

422
00:18:40.560 --> 00:18:42.540
And now we're gonna get into my favorite part,

423
00:18:42.540 --> 00:18:43.740
which are the invertebrates,

424
00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:46.020
or animals without backbones.

425
00:18:46.020 --> 00:18:48.360
There are over 900 species of invertebrates

426
00:18:48.360 --> 00:18:49.980
described at Gray's Reef.

427
00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:51.390
And just for a quick moment,

428
00:18:51.390 --> 00:18:53.580
I wanted to go over some of them here

429
00:18:53.580 --> 00:18:56.580
that you might see or might be wondering

430
00:18:56.580 --> 00:18:58.020
what those colors are.

431
00:18:58.020 --> 00:19:01.740
So the most obvious one is our sea star down here,

432
00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:03.450
but when we look at the ledge

433
00:19:03.450 --> 00:19:07.050
we start seeing things like corals, some hard corals,

434
00:19:07.050 --> 00:19:08.553
there's some tunicates here,

435
00:19:09.630 --> 00:19:10.563
a sea urchin,

436
00:19:11.430 --> 00:19:14.190
some soft corals up here on the top,

437
00:19:14.190 --> 00:19:16.900
these are these finger-like, frilly

438
00:19:18.270 --> 00:19:20.640
octocorals, or soft corals,

439
00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:24.270
more tunicates, or sea squirts as they're commonly called.

440
00:19:24.270 --> 00:19:26.370
And then one thing that that I often miss,

441
00:19:26.370 --> 00:19:28.200
but I wanted to to point out here

442
00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:30.270
is there's a little crab here.

443
00:19:30.270 --> 00:19:31.980
You might see it, that little red thing

444
00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:33.120
with the two arms,

445
00:19:33.120 --> 00:19:34.860
that's a little decorator crab

446
00:19:34.860 --> 00:19:37.240
that sometimes is just trying to hang out

447
00:19:39.213 --> 00:19:40.963
and just live its life at the reef.

448
00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:45.420
So these next few slides are just some macro images

449
00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:48.690
of some of the life living at Gray's Reef.

450
00:19:48.690 --> 00:19:51.140
Our first one are the tentacles of a sea anemone.

451
00:19:55.710 --> 00:19:57.720
Next is a Christmas tree worm.

452
00:19:57.720 --> 00:19:59.867
And these branches, if you will,

453
00:19:59.867 --> 00:20:02.340
of this worm are filter feeding.

454
00:20:02.340 --> 00:20:05.040
So they're picking up particulates from the water

455
00:20:05.040 --> 00:20:07.380
that's drifting and flowing by.

456
00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:09.120
And the cool thing that I find about these

457
00:20:09.120 --> 00:20:10.562
is if you get too close to them,

458
00:20:10.562 --> 00:20:13.650
they're really only about an inch tall,

459
00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:15.870
but if you get too close to them on the reef,

460
00:20:15.870 --> 00:20:18.720
they'll quickly retract into their tubes

461
00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:21.963
and are, you know, kind of skittish in that sense.

462
00:20:24.750 --> 00:20:25.980
Next we have an arrow crab,

463
00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:28.500
which are quite commonly seen on the reef,

464
00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:30.130
these are, again, very small

465
00:20:31.020 --> 00:20:33.750
and they use their long front claws

466
00:20:33.750 --> 00:20:36.153
to pick and keep the reef clean.

467
00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:41.340
If I didn't have the caption in the bottom right,

468
00:20:41.340 --> 00:20:44.940
I would ask each of you to think of what this might be,

469
00:20:44.940 --> 00:20:49.770
but it is a Atlantic sea nettle, or a type of jelly.

470
00:20:49.770 --> 00:20:52.070
And you can start to see some of the tentacles

471
00:20:53.010 --> 00:20:55.650
going off into the bottom right to complete its body.

472
00:20:55.650 --> 00:20:57.798
But just some of the textures, colors,

473
00:20:57.798 --> 00:21:01.800
and shapes of nature just amaze me sometimes,

474
00:21:01.800 --> 00:21:03.300
and that are seen at the reef.

475
00:21:06.090 --> 00:21:08.490
Next are some soft corals,

476
00:21:08.490 --> 00:21:10.920
scientifically known as octocorals.

477
00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:13.020
These are very common at the reef,

478
00:21:13.020 --> 00:21:15.060
are similar to the hard corals that you might

479
00:21:15.060 --> 00:21:16.830
be familiar with in the Florida Keys,

480
00:21:16.830 --> 00:21:19.130
but they're soft and they have more tentacles.

481
00:21:23.190 --> 00:21:26.970
One of the most common invertebrate are the sponges here.

482
00:21:26.970 --> 00:21:29.190
So we have boulder-type sponges,

483
00:21:29.190 --> 00:21:31.890
base-type sponges, and branching-type sponges.

484
00:21:31.890 --> 00:21:33.990
These are filter feeding animals

485
00:21:33.990 --> 00:21:36.360
and again, through each of these pictures,

486
00:21:36.360 --> 00:21:37.860
these are animals, they're not rocks,

487
00:21:37.860 --> 00:21:39.870
they're not algae or plants,

488
00:21:39.870 --> 00:21:41.190
they are living animals,

489
00:21:41.190 --> 00:21:43.200
which I just find amazing the variety

490
00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:44.763
of life in invertebrates.

491
00:21:47.190 --> 00:21:51.450
And here is, again, a very common species

492
00:21:51.450 --> 00:21:54.450
found or a common group of animals found

493
00:21:54.450 --> 00:21:57.000
called tunicates, also known as sea squirts.

494
00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:58.320
So there are two types in this,

495
00:21:58.320 --> 00:22:00.900
there's the bright orange colonial tunicates

496
00:22:00.900 --> 00:22:03.208
that are very small and then they have

497
00:22:03.208 --> 00:22:06.630
a jet that goes in and a jet that goes out,

498
00:22:06.630 --> 00:22:08.580
that's why they're called sea squirts.

499
00:22:08.580 --> 00:22:12.980
And then the larger ones, which are the same group,

500
00:22:14.250 --> 00:22:15.963
but just a different species.

501
00:22:18.570 --> 00:22:20.640
And some of the more rare finds are

502
00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.040
in the upper left, the aptly named,

503
00:22:23.040 --> 00:22:25.080
and appropriately named, Regal sea goddess

504
00:22:25.080 --> 00:22:28.110
with its beautiful purples and yellows.

505
00:22:28.110 --> 00:22:29.550
This is a type of nudibranch,

506
00:22:29.550 --> 00:22:32.460
or maybe a sea slug, if you will.

507
00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:34.020
These are just magnificent to see,

508
00:22:34.020 --> 00:22:36.150
they're about half the size of your pinky

509
00:22:36.150 --> 00:22:37.510
and once you find them

510
00:22:38.370 --> 00:22:39.627
they're just incredible to see

511
00:22:39.627 --> 00:22:41.910
and just the vibrant colors.

512
00:22:41.910 --> 00:22:46.530
My personal favorite sea animal is the sea cucumber.

513
00:22:46.530 --> 00:22:50.635
No particular reason, just I find them very funny to-

514
00:22:50.635 --> 00:22:52.260
It's just this kind of slug

515
00:22:52.260 --> 00:22:54.180
that moves along the bottom,

516
00:22:54.180 --> 00:22:56.013
but it's related to a sea star.

517
00:22:56.970 --> 00:23:00.030
Sea star and sea urchin here on the bottom left.

518
00:23:00.030 --> 00:23:03.243
And then just a pallet of tunicates seen at our reef.

519
00:23:06.870 --> 00:23:09.090
Some of the larger visitors that we have

520
00:23:09.090 --> 00:23:12.810
coming down into the South Atlantic

521
00:23:12.810 --> 00:23:15.060
is the North Atlantic right whale.

522
00:23:15.060 --> 00:23:16.890
Gray's Reef is the only known-

523
00:23:16.890 --> 00:23:19.110
Gray's Reef is within the only known winter

524
00:23:19.110 --> 00:23:21.480
calving ground of the North Atlantic right whale.

525
00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:23.940
And between mid-November and mid-April

526
00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:25.770
these whales migrate to the warm waters

527
00:23:25.770 --> 00:23:27.960
off the coast of Georgia, Florida,

528
00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:30.690
South Carolina and North Carolina.

529
00:23:30.690 --> 00:23:32.700
During these times we encourage all boaters

530
00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:34.440
to be on the lookout and slow down

531
00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:36.960
for these during this season

532
00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:41.960
and lookout for these critically endangered animals.

533
00:23:42.090 --> 00:23:46.350
More information about the North Atlantic right whale

534
00:23:46.350 --> 00:23:48.483
can be found at fisheries.noaa.gov.

535
00:23:50.250 --> 00:23:53.040
And one of the common but special sights

536
00:23:53.040 --> 00:23:54.900
that we typically see at Gray's Reef

537
00:23:54.900 --> 00:23:56.850
are Loggerhead sea turtles.

538
00:23:56.850 --> 00:23:58.732
At Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary

539
00:23:58.732 --> 00:24:01.980
we have five species of turtles,

540
00:24:01.980 --> 00:24:04.173
most common is this Loggerhead here.

541
00:24:05.370 --> 00:24:06.720
The ledges of Gray's Reef,

542
00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:08.790
we have noticed that some of the turtles

543
00:24:08.790 --> 00:24:12.390
either back themselves in or go face first

544
00:24:12.390 --> 00:24:14.430
to try to get the barnacles off of their shell

545
00:24:14.430 --> 00:24:16.590
using the undersides of the ledge,

546
00:24:16.590 --> 00:24:18.300
which is an interesting interaction.

547
00:24:18.300 --> 00:24:21.570
We haven't studied it scientifically

548
00:24:21.570 --> 00:24:22.680
to better understand it,

549
00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:25.050
but we do see a lot of turtles,

550
00:24:25.050 --> 00:24:28.080
which is probably what you see this turtle coming out,

551
00:24:28.080 --> 00:24:30.180
it may have just been scratching its back.

552
00:24:32.760 --> 00:24:35.490
So that completes our explore section

553
00:24:35.490 --> 00:24:38.310
and I wanted to move into the connect section now.

554
00:24:38.310 --> 00:24:41.670
Connecting with people, with their resource,

555
00:24:41.670 --> 00:24:44.313
and their environment out at Gray's Reef.

556
00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:49.230
So it's a common misconception at Gray's Reef

557
00:24:49.230 --> 00:24:50.610
that it is off limits,

558
00:24:50.610 --> 00:24:52.950
and this can't be further than the truth.

559
00:24:52.950 --> 00:24:55.050
We encourage recreational fishing and diving

560
00:24:55.050 --> 00:24:57.630
in our ocean park and have a number of resources

561
00:24:57.630 --> 00:24:59.460
to make sure you are able to fish

562
00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:02.610
and dive responsibly and sustainably.

563
00:25:02.610 --> 00:25:04.380
In terms of fishing, you may fish

564
00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:06.840
with a rod and reel and keep what you catch,

565
00:25:06.840 --> 00:25:09.393
as long as it meets seasonal and size limits.

566
00:25:11.370 --> 00:25:13.320
To further encourage responsible recreation

567
00:25:13.320 --> 00:25:14.370
in the sanctuary,

568
00:25:14.370 --> 00:25:17.250
Gray's Reef has partnered with the Nature Conservancy,

569
00:25:17.250 --> 00:25:20.340
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Dewberry,

570
00:25:20.340 --> 00:25:22.560
and a few local partners in creating

571
00:25:22.560 --> 00:25:24.330
a Best Fishing Practices Guide,

572
00:25:24.330 --> 00:25:27.420
which is flipping through some of the pages here.

573
00:25:27.420 --> 00:25:29.670
It's hosted on the Gray's Reef website

574
00:25:29.670 --> 00:25:32.640
and it's a guide that covers most information

575
00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:34.290
that anglers should know before

576
00:25:34.290 --> 00:25:35.940
fishing in the sanctuary.

577
00:25:35.940 --> 00:25:38.070
Things including regulation,

578
00:25:38.070 --> 00:25:39.780
best practices on how to handle

579
00:25:39.780 --> 00:25:42.210
or release fish experiencing barotrauma,

580
00:25:42.210 --> 00:25:45.240
which is a common ailment when bringing a fish up

581
00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:47.460
from the depth of Gray's Reef.

582
00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:51.390
So I encourage you, if you're just a avid fisher

583
00:25:51.390 --> 00:25:53.220
or visiting Gray's Reef,

584
00:25:53.220 --> 00:25:57.960
to check out graysreef.noaa.gov/fishing-

585
00:25:57.960 --> 00:25:59.940
Or, excuse me, /visit/fishing,

586
00:25:59.940 --> 00:26:03.183
for this Best Fishing Practices Guide.

587
00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:08.280
Diving also happens here.

588
00:26:08.280 --> 00:26:10.920
Due to the depth of 65 feet,

589
00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:14.850
underwater currents, varying levels of visibility,

590
00:26:14.850 --> 00:26:17.910
Gray's Reef is considered an advanced dive,

591
00:26:17.910 --> 00:26:19.230
but if you're up to the challenge,

592
00:26:19.230 --> 00:26:21.690
a number of local dive charters have regular trips

593
00:26:21.690 --> 00:26:25.080
to the sanctuary for you to see it for yourself.

594
00:26:25.080 --> 00:26:27.390
We are also releasing a best fishing prac-

595
00:26:27.390 --> 00:26:28.223
Excuse me.

596
00:26:28.223 --> 00:26:29.340
Best Diving Practices Guide,

597
00:26:29.340 --> 00:26:32.460
similar to that of the Best Fishing Practices Guide,

598
00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:34.740
which compiles resources to make the most

599
00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:37.353
of your trip to the sanctuary and dive responsibly.

600
00:26:39.780 --> 00:26:42.060
If you can't make it out to the sanctuary

601
00:26:42.060 --> 00:26:44.388
or if you just don't wanna get your feet wet,

602
00:26:44.388 --> 00:26:47.640
Gray's Reef hosts a number of online and on land

603
00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:50.610
opportunities to connect with your sanctuary.

604
00:26:50.610 --> 00:26:53.040
Virtual dives with 360 headsets

605
00:26:53.040 --> 00:26:55.020
and touchscreen interactive galleries

606
00:26:55.020 --> 00:26:57.000
are two ways that people can visit

607
00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:58.893
the sanctuary from on land.

608
00:26:59.730 --> 00:27:03.960
Also, if you're more of the social media type person,

609
00:27:03.960 --> 00:27:05.700
you can always tag Gray's Reef

610
00:27:05.700 --> 00:27:07.970
on social media at #GraysReef.

611
00:27:11.310 --> 00:27:12.750
We have an annual celebration called

612
00:27:12.750 --> 00:27:14.610
the "Get into your Sanctuary" celebration,

613
00:27:14.610 --> 00:27:17.220
which is an encouragement of all Americans

614
00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:20.610
to use their sanctuary and their

615
00:27:20.610 --> 00:27:23.490
marine resources responsibly

616
00:27:23.490 --> 00:27:27.540
and enjoy what our government has

617
00:27:27.540 --> 00:27:30.450
decided to protect over 50 years ago,

618
00:27:30.450 --> 00:27:32.370
coming up on 50 years ago.

619
00:27:32.370 --> 00:27:35.340
Part of the "Get into your Sanctuary" celebration

620
00:27:35.340 --> 00:27:38.080
is our photo contest, which you can submit

621
00:27:39.150 --> 00:27:40.773
in the summer of each year.

622
00:27:43.020 --> 00:27:46.050
The Sanctuary Advisory Council is a community-based

623
00:27:46.050 --> 00:27:48.030
advisory group of representatives

624
00:27:48.030 --> 00:27:50.460
from various user groups, government agencies,

625
00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:52.170
and the public at large.

626
00:27:52.170 --> 00:27:54.510
These user groups include scientific research,

627
00:27:54.510 --> 00:27:57.990
recreational fishing, scuba diving, conservation,

628
00:27:57.990 --> 00:28:00.123
K through 12 and university education.

629
00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:03.840
Non-voting government seats include NOAA Fisheries,

630
00:28:03.840 --> 00:28:06.180
the Georgia Department of Natural Resources,

631
00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:07.890
the United States Coast Guard,

632
00:28:07.890 --> 00:28:09.780
and NOAA Law Enforcement.

633
00:28:09.780 --> 00:28:11.730
So the Advisory Council is the best way

634
00:28:11.730 --> 00:28:13.500
for the public and citizens to address

635
00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:15.240
issues and protections within

636
00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:17.140
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

637
00:28:18.030 --> 00:28:20.220
Regular council meetings are open to the public

638
00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:22.140
and each representative welcomes comments

639
00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:25.233
to discuss agenda items at the meetings.

640
00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:31.410
And lastly, since I am the Volunteer Coordinator,

641
00:28:31.410 --> 00:28:33.540
my favorite way for people to engage and connect

642
00:28:33.540 --> 00:28:35.730
with the sanctuary is by volunteering.

643
00:28:35.730 --> 00:28:38.940
So with the Gray's Reef Ocean Discovery Center

644
00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:42.480
opening fairly soon,

645
00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:44.370
we have opportunities for greeters and docents

646
00:28:44.370 --> 00:28:46.020
to interact with the public.

647
00:28:46.020 --> 00:28:48.930
We also have more on-water opportunities,

648
00:28:48.930 --> 00:28:52.500
being a vessel monitor or even Team Ocean Diving.

649
00:28:52.500 --> 00:28:54.690
So if you are interested in volunteering

650
00:28:54.690 --> 00:28:57.510
and supporting your sanctuary, please contact me,

651
00:28:57.510 --> 00:29:02.283
I have my contact later in the presentation.

652
00:29:03.930 --> 00:29:05.520
And at this point I wanted to give people

653
00:29:05.520 --> 00:29:07.260
a reminder that if you would like to

654
00:29:07.260 --> 00:29:10.140
submit questions that you can do so in the chat,

655
00:29:10.140 --> 00:29:12.483
or questions feature on the side panel.

656
00:29:15.030 --> 00:29:17.190
And this moves into our final section

657
00:29:17.190 --> 00:29:18.630
which is about discovering.

658
00:29:18.630 --> 00:29:20.180
Discovering more about the reef

659
00:29:21.090 --> 00:29:24.270
in terms of science and marine research.

660
00:29:24.270 --> 00:29:27.840
And Gray's Reef has a long history

661
00:29:27.840 --> 00:29:29.190
of scientific research.

662
00:29:29.190 --> 00:29:33.390
If it weren't for this gentleman here,

663
00:29:33.390 --> 00:29:35.460
Milton "Sam" Gray, who was the person

664
00:29:35.460 --> 00:29:39.453
to discover Gray's Reef in modern times,

665
00:29:41.190 --> 00:29:43.740
we probably would still be looking to see what

666
00:29:43.740 --> 00:29:45.540
this extensive live-bottom is like.

667
00:29:45.540 --> 00:29:50.130
So in the mid-1950s, Milton "Sam" Gray

668
00:29:50.130 --> 00:29:53.400
retired from his job as a biological collector

669
00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:56.430
in New England, moved down to South Carolina

670
00:29:56.430 --> 00:29:59.970
and began fishing, or doing bottom trawls

671
00:29:59.970 --> 00:30:01.800
off the coast of Georgia because it had never

672
00:30:01.800 --> 00:30:05.700
been explored until the 1950s.

673
00:30:05.700 --> 00:30:08.610
So he found this area off of Sapelo Island

674
00:30:08.610 --> 00:30:11.460
and ended up naming it the Sapelo Live-Bottom.

675
00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:14.400
And over the years that find has encouraged

676
00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:16.830
other people such as Vernon "Jim" Henry,

677
00:30:16.830 --> 00:30:18.329
that you see in the upper left,

678
00:30:18.329 --> 00:30:20.730
as well as a number of other divers

679
00:30:20.730 --> 00:30:24.210
to continue to map and study the sanctuary.

680
00:30:24.210 --> 00:30:27.300
And it wasn't until the mid-1970s

681
00:30:27.300 --> 00:30:30.030
that a gentleman named Jesse Hunt

682
00:30:30.030 --> 00:30:32.621
suggested, "Hey, Sam Gray meant so much to

683
00:30:32.621 --> 00:30:35.370
this area and the Sapelo Live-Bottom,

684
00:30:35.370 --> 00:30:36.780
let's rename it after him."

685
00:30:36.780 --> 00:30:39.570
So the conservation and preservation effort

686
00:30:39.570 --> 00:30:41.515
started at that point and a woman

687
00:30:41.515 --> 00:30:43.640
by the name of Jane Yarn,

688
00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:46.530
who was a big proponent of preservation

689
00:30:46.530 --> 00:30:47.853
along the Georgia coast,

690
00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:50.770
was the one to introduce

691
00:30:52.410 --> 00:30:56.640
the importance of protection to President Jimmy Carter.

692
00:30:56.640 --> 00:30:59.400
And it wasn't until 1981 that the sanctuary

693
00:30:59.400 --> 00:31:02.530
was designated as a national marine sanctuary

694
00:31:04.860 --> 00:31:06.813
under President Jimmy Carter.

695
00:31:09.540 --> 00:31:11.130
So with this legacy of research,

696
00:31:11.130 --> 00:31:12.840
that research continues today,

697
00:31:12.840 --> 00:31:15.960
and Gray's Reef is seen as a catalyst

698
00:31:15.960 --> 00:31:18.990
for research and science legacy.

699
00:31:18.990 --> 00:31:21.570
It is a testing bed for new technologies.

700
00:31:21.570 --> 00:31:25.650
In the upper left we have Slocum Gliders,

701
00:31:25.650 --> 00:31:28.380
un-crewed, ocean gliders that move through

702
00:31:28.380 --> 00:31:30.990
the sanctuary, move through the South Atlantic.

703
00:31:30.990 --> 00:31:34.890
On the upper right we have chemistry monitoring

704
00:31:34.890 --> 00:31:36.570
of ocean chemistry to track

705
00:31:36.570 --> 00:31:39.120
changes due to climate change.

706
00:31:39.120 --> 00:31:42.390
And we have, in the bottom left, a Gray's Reef Rover,

707
00:31:42.390 --> 00:31:45.200
which is an un-crewed, autonomous vehicle

708
00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:48.090
that will move along the bottom to

709
00:31:48.090 --> 00:31:50.430
look at fish and see changes while

710
00:31:50.430 --> 00:31:52.818
a diver can recover from one of-

711
00:31:52.818 --> 00:31:54.094
(inaudible)

712
00:31:54.094 --> 00:31:55.563
Or their most recent dives.

713
00:31:57.990 --> 00:31:59.710
One of the main parts of

714
00:32:00.840 --> 00:32:03.180
the catalyst for research that Gray's Reef is,

715
00:32:03.180 --> 00:32:06.750
is having a research area in the Southern Third.

716
00:32:06.750 --> 00:32:10.380
The research area was designated in 2011,

717
00:32:10.380 --> 00:32:12.600
is approximately eight square miles

718
00:32:12.600 --> 00:32:15.300
and is a place where recreational fishing

719
00:32:15.300 --> 00:32:16.830
and diving is prohibited.

720
00:32:16.830 --> 00:32:18.480
So you must have a permit in order to

721
00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:20.299
fish or dive in that area.

722
00:32:20.299 --> 00:32:22.650
And this gives an opportunity for scientists

723
00:32:22.650 --> 00:32:24.750
to study the impacts of human activities

724
00:32:24.750 --> 00:32:26.673
on the sanctuary's marine resource.

725
00:32:28.740 --> 00:32:30.900
So Mark, next we have a video

726
00:32:30.900 --> 00:32:33.183
about research at the sanctuary.

727
00:32:43.650 --> 00:32:44.730
<v Narrator>Welcome to Gray's Reef</v>

728
00:32:44.730 --> 00:32:46.350
National Marine Sanctuary.

729
00:32:46.350 --> 00:32:48.360
Spectacular, isn't it?

730
00:32:48.360 --> 00:32:51.030
So what's so special about this patch of water?

731
00:32:51.030 --> 00:32:53.370
Just looks like water, pretty much like

732
00:32:53.370 --> 00:32:55.170
every other patch of water.

733
00:32:55.170 --> 00:32:56.003
Or does it?

734
00:32:59.010 --> 00:33:01.383
Join us as we journey below the surface.

735
00:33:02.310 --> 00:33:06.030
What we discover is an extraordinary oasis of life.

736
00:33:06.030 --> 00:33:08.550
We find hundreds of species of fish,

737
00:33:08.550 --> 00:33:10.500
threatened and endangered species,

738
00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:12.660
an abundance of sponges and corals

739
00:33:12.660 --> 00:33:15.570
all drawn to this unique and essential

740
00:33:15.570 --> 00:33:17.404
hard-bottom reef ecosystem.

741
00:33:17.404 --> 00:33:18.930
(epic music)

742
00:33:18.930 --> 00:33:21.570
Protecting this important underwater community

743
00:33:21.570 --> 00:33:23.790
requires careful study.

744
00:33:23.790 --> 00:33:26.970
At Gray's Reef, researchers from many organizations

745
00:33:26.970 --> 00:33:30.210
come together to monitor the reef's health.

746
00:33:30.210 --> 00:33:32.790
A key question they're trying to answer is,

747
00:33:32.790 --> 00:33:36.750
what observed changes are due to natural variations

748
00:33:36.750 --> 00:33:38.343
versus human activities?

749
00:33:39.660 --> 00:33:41.700
Aboard the NOAA ship Nancy Foster,

750
00:33:41.700 --> 00:33:44.040
a team of 14 scientists conducts

751
00:33:44.040 --> 00:33:46.380
round the clock research to monitor

752
00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:48.093
marine life in Gray's Reef.

753
00:33:48.930 --> 00:33:50.850
This work tells the story of how healthy

754
00:33:50.850 --> 00:33:54.026
the sanctuary is and what may be changing.

755
00:33:54.026 --> 00:33:56.776
(exciting music)

756
00:33:59.010 --> 00:34:01.020
<v ->This is one of the few places in the world</v>

757
00:34:01.020 --> 00:34:03.390
where I can jump in the water

758
00:34:03.390 --> 00:34:07.380
and study the interactions of individual animals

759
00:34:07.380 --> 00:34:09.840
playing out over the course of the day and night

760
00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:10.900
in their environment

761
00:34:11.820 --> 00:34:14.760
and see predation in action,

762
00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:17.700
individual animals feeding on others,

763
00:34:17.700 --> 00:34:20.580
and I work on higher trophic level predators.

764
00:34:20.580 --> 00:34:22.230
Today we did a diving survey

765
00:34:22.230 --> 00:34:24.870
for the distribution of prey and predators

766
00:34:24.870 --> 00:34:27.360
and their behaviors along the reef,

767
00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:29.220
and recovered a time lapse camera.

768
00:34:29.220 --> 00:34:31.313
The time lapse camera allows us to look at

769
00:34:31.313 --> 00:34:35.365
the abundance and behavior of animals over 24 hours.

770
00:34:35.365 --> 00:34:38.115
(exciting music)

771
00:34:39.450 --> 00:34:41.370
<v ->Using fisheries acoustic we are able</v>

772
00:34:41.370 --> 00:34:43.767
to characterize the distribution of predators

773
00:34:43.767 --> 00:34:47.580
and prey over different habitats

774
00:34:47.580 --> 00:34:50.790
and throughout the 24 hours.

775
00:34:50.790 --> 00:34:54.720
First we pick a site to survey

776
00:34:54.720 --> 00:34:59.010
and then we go up and down with the ship

777
00:34:59.010 --> 00:35:01.950
with the echos under going and trying to

778
00:35:01.950 --> 00:35:04.950
characterize the area all over the site.

779
00:35:04.950 --> 00:35:06.486
<v ->We are privileged to serve as stewards</v>

780
00:35:06.486 --> 00:35:09.360
of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

781
00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:12.030
To fulfill this responsibility we need information,

782
00:35:12.030 --> 00:35:14.880
information about the health of the creatures

783
00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:17.790
and the habitats within this precious place.

784
00:35:17.790 --> 00:35:20.940
We do this to ensure that Gray's Reef remains

785
00:35:20.940 --> 00:35:23.730
a healthy and thriving marine community

786
00:35:23.730 --> 00:35:26.250
for us, for the ocean,

787
00:35:26.250 --> 00:35:28.200
and because it's the right thing to do.

788
00:35:30.090 --> 00:35:32.490
<v Narrator>As we finish our dive to Gray's Reef,</v>

789
00:35:32.490 --> 00:35:34.380
we return to the surface.

790
00:35:34.380 --> 00:35:36.747
Once again, we see only water.

791
00:35:36.747 --> 00:35:38.580
(epic music)

792
00:35:38.580 --> 00:35:39.413
Or do we?

793
00:35:41.880 --> 00:35:43.350
<v ->Our work is important because it reveals</v>

794
00:35:43.350 --> 00:35:45.510
the invisible fabric of nature.

795
00:35:45.510 --> 00:35:47.610
We're beginning to understand the interactions

796
00:35:47.610 --> 00:35:49.380
within and between species,

797
00:35:49.380 --> 00:35:51.870
individual animals operating in the habitat

798
00:35:51.870 --> 00:35:52.920
and the community here in

799
00:35:52.920 --> 00:35:55.110
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

800
00:35:55.110 --> 00:35:57.097
It's important for moving forward

801
00:35:57.097 --> 00:35:59.070
to involve all the principles of

802
00:35:59.070 --> 00:36:01.020
ecosystem-based management,

803
00:36:01.020 --> 00:36:03.750
both for managing the sanctuary in particular

804
00:36:03.750 --> 00:36:06.510
and the larger region as a whole,

805
00:36:06.510 --> 00:36:09.360
and it allows us to think about what

806
00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:12.690
sustainability means for the long-term

807
00:36:12.690 --> 00:36:14.689
in terms of conserving our natural heritage.

808
00:36:14.689 --> 00:36:17.106
(epic music)

809
00:36:20.167 --> 00:36:21.667
<v Narrator>Now-</v>

810
00:36:35.091 --> 00:36:36.690
[Ben] Okay, thank you Mark.

811
00:36:36.690 --> 00:36:39.000
That video is a few years old at this point

812
00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:41.850
and we have a new superintendent, Stan Rogers,

813
00:36:41.850 --> 00:36:46.290
but it does show a great example of the types

814
00:36:46.290 --> 00:36:48.117
of research that happens at Gray's Reef

815
00:36:48.117 --> 00:36:49.860
and just the continuous studies

816
00:36:49.860 --> 00:36:51.330
that happen within the sanctuary,

817
00:36:51.330 --> 00:36:54.720
and mainly because of this research area,

818
00:36:54.720 --> 00:36:56.523
the promotion of this research area.

819
00:36:58.230 --> 00:37:01.020
Some of the ongoing studies that we do specifically

820
00:37:01.020 --> 00:37:03.870
at the sanctuary, mainly is what's known as

821
00:37:03.870 --> 00:37:07.440
the Sanc Sound, or Sanctuary Sound Project.

822
00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:09.600
You may remember a similar image

823
00:37:09.600 --> 00:37:11.207
from that top image from before

824
00:37:11.207 --> 00:37:14.010
when we listened to the sounds of Gray's Reef.

825
00:37:14.010 --> 00:37:17.280
This is known as what's called a spectrogram,

826
00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:20.550
and as we moved across from left to right across time,

827
00:37:20.550 --> 00:37:22.560
we had our high pitched noises,

828
00:37:22.560 --> 00:37:23.940
those snapping shrimp,

829
00:37:23.940 --> 00:37:27.360
as well as the grunting of a oyster toadfish

830
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:29.763
on the lower register, on the lower pitch,

831
00:37:30.630 --> 00:37:32.220
lower frequency noises.

832
00:37:32.220 --> 00:37:34.590
So researchers use sound in the sanctuary,

833
00:37:34.590 --> 00:37:36.990
which is collected by hydrophones,

834
00:37:36.990 --> 00:37:39.630
also known as underwater microphones,

835
00:37:39.630 --> 00:37:42.210
to see which fish are living there.

836
00:37:42.210 --> 00:37:43.803
Since all fish make sound,

837
00:37:45.420 --> 00:37:47.640
we can see what the seasonality is,

838
00:37:47.640 --> 00:37:50.190
if there are more snapper coming in,

839
00:37:50.190 --> 00:37:52.350
in a particular region or more grouper

840
00:37:52.350 --> 00:37:54.990
leaving at a particular time.

841
00:37:54.990 --> 00:37:57.240
So hydrophones set up both at Gray's Reef

842
00:37:57.240 --> 00:38:00.180
and along the East Coast can track that migration.

843
00:38:00.180 --> 00:38:01.980
And Gray's Reef is actually one of the louder

844
00:38:01.980 --> 00:38:04.143
sanctuaries in the sanctuary system.

845
00:38:05.850 --> 00:38:08.100
The second half of the Sanctuary Sound Project

846
00:38:08.100 --> 00:38:13.100
is using acoustic receivers and internal tags.

847
00:38:13.740 --> 00:38:16.440
And if you look to my video now,

848
00:38:16.440 --> 00:38:18.303
I have an example of these tags.

849
00:38:19.350 --> 00:38:23.370
This thing is about the size of a baby carrot

850
00:38:23.370 --> 00:38:26.910
and it is implanted inside a fish.

851
00:38:26.910 --> 00:38:30.630
So on a research date that we plan,

852
00:38:30.630 --> 00:38:32.580
we go out, go fishing,

853
00:38:32.580 --> 00:38:34.650
and when we catch black sea bass, in particular,

854
00:38:34.650 --> 00:38:37.567
that are of size, we will bring them aboard

855
00:38:37.567 --> 00:38:40.653
and anesthetize them, or kind of put them to sleep,

856
00:38:42.630 --> 00:38:45.840
perform surgery on them, on the deck of the boat,

857
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:48.810
implant this tag into their stomach

858
00:38:48.810 --> 00:38:51.690
or into their body cavity,

859
00:38:51.690 --> 00:38:53.640
sew them up and then send them back down

860
00:38:53.640 --> 00:38:54.933
on a descending device.

861
00:38:55.920 --> 00:38:57.720
Those are those yellow concentric circles

862
00:38:57.720 --> 00:38:59.430
that you see coming from it.

863
00:38:59.430 --> 00:39:02.460
Each of these tags sends out a unique ping

864
00:39:02.460 --> 00:39:05.943
or frequency of pings that lets the receivers,

865
00:39:09.120 --> 00:39:11.130
which I have one right here,

866
00:39:11.130 --> 00:39:13.590
the receivers know that a particular fish

867
00:39:13.590 --> 00:39:16.440
is within the range of this underwater.

868
00:39:16.440 --> 00:39:21.120
So these receivers are hung on float balls in line,

869
00:39:21.120 --> 00:39:23.790
that are serviced by divers on a regular basis,

870
00:39:23.790 --> 00:39:26.190
and they pick up pings that come close

871
00:39:26.190 --> 00:39:27.750
enough to one of them.

872
00:39:27.750 --> 00:39:29.956
So with these two technologies,

873
00:39:29.956 --> 00:39:33.510
the receiver and the tag,

874
00:39:33.510 --> 00:39:36.870
we can see which fish are moving across the

875
00:39:36.870 --> 00:39:39.480
sanctuary as well as which fish

876
00:39:39.480 --> 00:39:43.890
are moving up and down the East Coast.

877
00:39:43.890 --> 00:39:47.070
And that tiger shark example that I provided earlier,

878
00:39:47.070 --> 00:39:48.930
that's how we knew that, that shark,

879
00:39:48.930 --> 00:39:51.520
that individual, was coming into the sanctuary

880
00:39:52.950 --> 00:39:55.593
at that point every year.

881
00:39:58.530 --> 00:40:00.780
Some novel technologies that we continue to use

882
00:40:00.780 --> 00:40:04.410
are saildrones and gliders, which are shown here.

883
00:40:04.410 --> 00:40:07.320
I had the lucky opportunity to get fairly close

884
00:40:07.320 --> 00:40:08.670
to this saildrone that you see

885
00:40:08.670 --> 00:40:10.860
on the left-hand picture as part of the

886
00:40:10.860 --> 00:40:15.480
Nancy Foster crew's expedition that we took in 2011.

887
00:40:15.480 --> 00:40:17.610
So you see the Nancy Foster in the background

888
00:40:17.610 --> 00:40:21.540
and a saildrone in the foreground.

889
00:40:21.540 --> 00:40:23.898
In the upper right, which was not pictured

890
00:40:23.898 --> 00:40:27.870
in the 2021 photo, is a glider.

891
00:40:27.870 --> 00:40:32.730
So at the same time, a NOAA white ship,

892
00:40:32.730 --> 00:40:36.840
a data buoy, which I'll get to next,

893
00:40:36.840 --> 00:40:39.870
a saildrone and a glider were all in

894
00:40:39.870 --> 00:40:42.660
the same vicinity collecting the same information,

895
00:40:42.660 --> 00:40:45.330
which is a great way for researchers

896
00:40:45.330 --> 00:40:49.170
and engineers and technologists to cross calibrate

897
00:40:49.170 --> 00:40:50.941
their instruments to make sure that they're measuring

898
00:40:50.941 --> 00:40:53.973
the right thing at the right time.

899
00:40:57.450 --> 00:40:59.550
As I mentioned, the data buoy is the only

900
00:40:59.550 --> 00:41:01.980
landmark at Gray's Reef,

901
00:41:01.980 --> 00:41:04.840
there are no boundary markers or

902
00:41:06.030 --> 00:41:07.200
any lines in the water,

903
00:41:07.200 --> 00:41:11.640
and this is mainly to protect the entanglement

904
00:41:11.640 --> 00:41:13.950
risk of a North Atlantic right whale.

905
00:41:13.950 --> 00:41:15.510
But this data buoy is part of the

906
00:41:15.510 --> 00:41:18.120
National Data Buoy Center Network.

907
00:41:18.120 --> 00:41:19.950
On the right-hand side you'll see

908
00:41:19.950 --> 00:41:21.810
other buoys that are across the

909
00:41:21.810 --> 00:41:24.720
South Atlantic Bight and in the Atlantic Ocean,

910
00:41:24.720 --> 00:41:27.090
and it is a great resource for boaters

911
00:41:27.090 --> 00:41:28.950
planning a trip out to Gray's Reef,

912
00:41:28.950 --> 00:41:30.510
or meteorologists predicting

913
00:41:30.510 --> 00:41:32.643
the potential path of major storms.

914
00:41:35.580 --> 00:41:38.800
Lastly, a continued effort that we have is

915
00:41:40.410 --> 00:41:42.810
multibeam sonar mapping.

916
00:41:42.810 --> 00:41:45.750
Using sound to map the bottom of the ocean

917
00:41:45.750 --> 00:41:48.570
is how we understand what's down there

918
00:41:48.570 --> 00:41:50.370
and what might be changing.

919
00:41:50.370 --> 00:41:53.700
Multibeam allows researchers to map and charts,

920
00:41:53.700 --> 00:41:55.260
like the ones that we saw earlier

921
00:41:55.260 --> 00:41:57.240
with different sand types and live-bottom

922
00:41:57.240 --> 00:41:59.310
types of the sanctuary.

923
00:41:59.310 --> 00:42:01.440
So it's because of multibeam mapping

924
00:42:01.440 --> 00:42:05.220
and sound mapping that we can understand

925
00:42:05.220 --> 00:42:06.600
what's underneath the water

926
00:42:06.600 --> 00:42:07.800
without actually seeing it,

927
00:42:07.800 --> 00:42:09.873
using these mapping sound technologies.

928
00:42:11.700 --> 00:42:13.110
So enough about Gray's Reef,

929
00:42:13.110 --> 00:42:16.380
I wanted to encourage everyone to celebrate

930
00:42:16.380 --> 00:42:17.970
the 50th anniversary of the

931
00:42:17.970 --> 00:42:19.650
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries,

932
00:42:19.650 --> 00:42:23.163
happening in October and also throughout this past year.

933
00:42:24.750 --> 00:42:27.360
There are a number of opportunities to get involved

934
00:42:27.360 --> 00:42:29.550
both locally and nationally.

935
00:42:29.550 --> 00:42:32.070
The United States Postal Service has put out a

936
00:42:32.070 --> 00:42:35.670
stamp book of each of the 16 sites

937
00:42:35.670 --> 00:42:38.711
in the National Marine Sanctuary System.

938
00:42:38.711 --> 00:42:42.540
There are web resources including new videos,

939
00:42:42.540 --> 00:42:44.400
collectible sites and activity badges

940
00:42:44.400 --> 00:42:46.230
from the Park Passport app,

941
00:42:46.230 --> 00:42:49.200
dozens of web stories and signature articles,

942
00:42:49.200 --> 00:42:51.300
educational resources and collections

943
00:42:51.300 --> 00:42:53.760
for either teachers or students,

944
00:42:53.760 --> 00:42:55.890
50th anniversary events, including the one

945
00:42:55.890 --> 00:42:59.721
that we have on the 15th of October in Savannah,

946
00:42:59.721 --> 00:43:02.493
and a Blue Legacy accomplishments report.

947
00:43:05.010 --> 00:43:08.380
And as a more visual person and someone

948
00:43:09.990 --> 00:43:12.360
that works in graphic design some,

949
00:43:12.360 --> 00:43:14.400
a poster series as well.

950
00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:17.460
So by the end of this poster series

951
00:43:17.460 --> 00:43:21.600
we will have one poster, custom designed,

952
00:43:21.600 --> 00:43:23.010
for each of the sanctuary sites.

953
00:43:23.010 --> 00:43:24.990
So on the left hand side we have our colorful

954
00:43:24.990 --> 00:43:26.880
Gray's Reef with some of the things

955
00:43:26.880 --> 00:43:28.230
that I went over today.

956
00:43:28.230 --> 00:43:29.910
You can see that sea turtle at the front,

957
00:43:29.910 --> 00:43:32.640
and then the welcoming party of spadefish.

958
00:43:32.640 --> 00:43:34.230
And then the Monitor on the far right,

959
00:43:34.230 --> 00:43:35.940
showing some of the highlights

960
00:43:35.940 --> 00:43:38.133
of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

961
00:43:39.180 --> 00:43:40.830
So with that I wanted to provide

962
00:43:40.830 --> 00:43:43.230
just my contact information.

963
00:43:43.230 --> 00:43:45.270
If there are any further questions,

964
00:43:45.270 --> 00:43:47.010
we can go into questions now,

965
00:43:47.010 --> 00:43:48.897
hosted by Shannon and Mark.

966
00:43:48.897 --> 00:43:50.133
And thank you everybody.

967
00:43:52.050 --> 00:43:54.810
<v Shannon>All right, thank you Ben, that was awesome.</v>

968
00:43:54.810 --> 00:43:59.340
What a beautiful undersea world Gray's Reef is.

969
00:43:59.340 --> 00:44:00.510
We do have questions,

970
00:44:00.510 --> 00:44:03.240
but if you have not entered your question yet,

971
00:44:03.240 --> 00:44:05.430
we ask you to do so now.

972
00:44:05.430 --> 00:44:07.860
And also if you haven't downloaded Ben's bio

973
00:44:07.860 --> 00:44:10.140
in the chat box, you might want to do that also

974
00:44:10.140 --> 00:44:12.000
as there are some great links in there

975
00:44:12.000 --> 00:44:13.740
that will lead you to some of the websites

976
00:44:13.740 --> 00:44:17.520
that he has shared today.

977
00:44:17.520 --> 00:44:20.767
So, let's go to the first question that we have is,

978
00:44:20.767 --> 00:44:22.557
"How deep is Gray's Reef?"

979
00:44:23.640 --> 00:44:27.060
<v ->Yes, Gray's Reef varies, depending on the tide,</v>

980
00:44:27.060 --> 00:44:30.270
but our average depth is about 65 feet.

981
00:44:30.270 --> 00:44:32.730
When you're farther west in the sanctuary,

982
00:44:32.730 --> 00:44:34.410
meaning you're closer to land,

983
00:44:34.410 --> 00:44:36.570
it's a little bit shallower maybe in the

984
00:44:36.570 --> 00:44:39.240
upper 60s or lower 50s.

985
00:44:39.240 --> 00:44:40.860
But when you get farther east,

986
00:44:40.860 --> 00:44:43.260
deeper and farther from shore,

987
00:44:43.260 --> 00:44:47.580
it sometimes gets into 70 feet, or the upper 60s.

988
00:44:47.580 --> 00:44:50.070
I feel like I'm talking about temperatures now,

989
00:44:50.070 --> 00:44:52.623
but yeah, average depth is about 65 feet.

990
00:44:56.130 --> 00:44:58.800
<v Shannon>Okay, Mark, do you have a question?</v>

991
00:44:58.800 --> 00:45:01.057
<v Mark>Yes, this question is actually really interesting,</v>

992
00:45:01.057 --> 00:45:03.870
especially because it's a growing concern

993
00:45:03.870 --> 00:45:06.210
at the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary,

994
00:45:06.210 --> 00:45:10.353
but, is there an issue with lionfish at Gray's Reef?

995
00:45:11.340 --> 00:45:16.340
<v ->Yes, well we have seen lionfish at Gray's Reef.</v>

996
00:45:16.440 --> 00:45:17.523
We saw them-

997
00:45:18.630 --> 00:45:21.810
I have never seen a lionfish at Gray's Reef personally,

998
00:45:21.810 --> 00:45:23.700
but I only have a number of dives there.

999
00:45:23.700 --> 00:45:26.280
We do have some staff and some former staff

1000
00:45:26.280 --> 00:45:29.790
that have seen lionfish in the mid-2000s,

1001
00:45:29.790 --> 00:45:33.150
but on our past two research expeditions

1002
00:45:33.150 --> 00:45:34.440
aboard the Nancy Foster,

1003
00:45:34.440 --> 00:45:37.350
where we have about 12 divers

1004
00:45:37.350 --> 00:45:40.127
diving 40 times in a matter of a week,

1005
00:45:40.127 --> 00:45:42.900
you know, it adds up to over hundreds of hours

1006
00:45:42.900 --> 00:45:45.030
of diving in a particular year,

1007
00:45:45.030 --> 00:45:47.940
we have only seen two lionfish in the past

1008
00:45:47.940 --> 00:45:50.820
two years, in 2021 and in 2022.

1009
00:45:50.820 --> 00:45:54.240
So that really has us wondering why

1010
00:45:54.240 --> 00:45:55.650
are we not seeing them in summer

1011
00:45:55.650 --> 00:45:58.380
when other people say that they do see them?

1012
00:45:58.380 --> 00:46:01.140
And when the Monitor sees them,

1013
00:46:01.140 --> 00:46:02.400
or other sanctuaries see them,

1014
00:46:02.400 --> 00:46:03.570
why aren't we seeing them?

1015
00:46:03.570 --> 00:46:06.600
So we did have an opportunity to host an intern

1016
00:46:06.600 --> 00:46:09.975
to put together a lionfish plan

1017
00:46:09.975 --> 00:46:13.590
to have us monitor these more extensively

1018
00:46:13.590 --> 00:46:15.650
and we will be implementing that plan

1019
00:46:15.650 --> 00:46:18.273
in our future dives.

1020
00:46:19.710 --> 00:46:21.750
<v Shannon>Okay, another question asked</v>

1021
00:46:21.750 --> 00:46:23.940
if you could please summarize how old

1022
00:46:23.940 --> 00:46:26.100
the reef or parts of it are,

1023
00:46:26.100 --> 00:46:27.870
and what is known about the changes

1024
00:46:27.870 --> 00:46:29.881
that have happened over time.

1025
00:46:29.881 --> 00:46:33.150
<v ->Yeah, this was one of the slides that I cut out,</v>

1026
00:46:33.150 --> 00:46:35.320
but from what I understand

1027
00:46:36.210 --> 00:46:40.330
is that sea level has fluctuated over

1028
00:46:41.520 --> 00:46:43.570
thousands of years and millions of years.

1029
00:46:44.490 --> 00:46:46.650
At one point, sea level was much higher

1030
00:46:46.650 --> 00:46:48.860
than it was today and...

1031
00:46:51.390 --> 00:46:54.360
the ocean was depositing sand from runoff

1032
00:46:54.360 --> 00:46:56.787
and other things at where Gray's Reef was,

1033
00:46:56.787 --> 00:46:59.580
the sea level dropped and exposed it

1034
00:46:59.580 --> 00:47:01.950
and then rose again to where it is now,

1035
00:47:01.950 --> 00:47:04.773
and this is what has caused the sedimentation,

1036
00:47:06.630 --> 00:47:09.540
the solidification of the sediments,

1037
00:47:09.540 --> 00:47:11.760
which is mainly sandstone.

1038
00:47:11.760 --> 00:47:15.840
So it's actually, if you take a part of the reef,

1039
00:47:15.840 --> 00:47:17.520
which I don't encourage you to do,

1040
00:47:17.520 --> 00:47:20.640
but if you were able to and rub it together,

1041
00:47:20.640 --> 00:47:22.830
it is silica sand,

1042
00:47:22.830 --> 00:47:25.860
it's not calcium carbonate based,

1043
00:47:25.860 --> 00:47:27.453
it's silica based.

1044
00:47:29.340 --> 00:47:31.090
I hope that answered your question.

1045
00:47:32.550 --> 00:47:35.010
<v Shannon>All right, Mark, do you have a question?</v>

1046
00:47:35.010 --> 00:47:36.690
<v Mark>Yes, when you were talking about</v>

1047
00:47:36.690 --> 00:47:37.740
the volunteer opportunities,

1048
00:47:37.740 --> 00:47:40.140
you mentioned Team Ocean Diving.

1049
00:47:40.140 --> 00:47:42.060
Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

1050
00:47:42.060 --> 00:47:43.203
<v ->Of course, yes.</v>

1051
00:47:45.420 --> 00:47:48.180
So Team Ocean Diving is our volunteer divers

1052
00:47:48.180 --> 00:47:51.870
that support the scientific missions of Gray's Reef.

1053
00:47:51.870 --> 00:47:54.690
They actually join our researchers,

1054
00:47:54.690 --> 00:47:56.520
our sanctuary researchers,

1055
00:47:56.520 --> 00:48:00.600
out on the boats to service our hydrophones,

1056
00:48:00.600 --> 00:48:02.550
to service our acoustic receivers,

1057
00:48:02.550 --> 00:48:03.903
which I showed you earlier.

1058
00:48:05.070 --> 00:48:08.280
And it is the best way to get involved

1059
00:48:08.280 --> 00:48:11.550
and to actually see the sanctuary for itself.

1060
00:48:11.550 --> 00:48:12.873
It is also the most-

1061
00:48:15.420 --> 00:48:17.250
There's the most paperwork involved,

1062
00:48:17.250 --> 00:48:20.790
So when it comes to paperwork it is a longer process.

1063
00:48:20.790 --> 00:48:22.990
So the commitment has to be there

1064
00:48:24.324 --> 00:48:25.650
from the individual diver,

1065
00:48:25.650 --> 00:48:29.160
but it is a great way to actually see the sanctuary,

1066
00:48:29.160 --> 00:48:31.530
to interact with people who are studying it

1067
00:48:31.530 --> 00:48:33.090
and to make your own stories

1068
00:48:33.090 --> 00:48:36.000
and find your own connection with this

1069
00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:37.983
incredible resource off of our coasts.

1070
00:48:39.780 --> 00:48:42.270
<v Shannon>Okay, the sound was amazing,</v>

1071
00:48:42.270 --> 00:48:43.387
and one person asked,

1072
00:48:43.387 --> 00:48:47.280
"Can a diver actually hear the sounds that you played,

1073
00:48:47.280 --> 00:48:49.860
or is that only through a microphone?"

1074
00:48:49.860 --> 00:48:51.243
<v ->That's a great question.</v>

1075
00:48:52.950 --> 00:48:57.150
Let's see, I'm trying to think of my experiences diving.

1076
00:48:57.150 --> 00:49:01.140
I knew that I did not hear oyster toadfish,

1077
00:49:01.140 --> 00:49:02.520
that low grunting,

1078
00:49:02.520 --> 00:49:03.990
but that may have been because I was

1079
00:49:03.990 --> 00:49:07.080
actually in the water, they could hear my bubbles

1080
00:49:07.080 --> 00:49:08.430
and they were kind of scared.

1081
00:49:08.430 --> 00:49:09.667
So they were thinking,

1082
00:49:09.667 --> 00:49:13.240
"Well, I need to be quiet so that this predator,

1083
00:49:13.240 --> 00:49:16.110
a human diver, doesn't attack me,"

1084
00:49:16.110 --> 00:49:17.460
which wouldn't happen.

1085
00:49:17.460 --> 00:49:20.280
But you do hear some snapping shrimp

1086
00:49:20.280 --> 00:49:22.788
at particular levels, there's seemingly always

1087
00:49:22.788 --> 00:49:25.950
this background hum when you are diving,

1088
00:49:25.950 --> 00:49:27.093
so you can hear it,

1089
00:49:28.590 --> 00:49:31.050
but just some frequencies are too low

1090
00:49:31.050 --> 00:49:33.333
for us to actually hear.

1091
00:49:34.830 --> 00:49:36.870
<v Shannon>Okay, and Mark, do you have another question?</v>

1092
00:49:36.870 --> 00:49:39.363
We probably have time for maybe one or two more.

1093
00:49:40.560 --> 00:49:43.290
<v Mark>Yes, we had a couple people</v>

1094
00:49:43.290 --> 00:49:46.260
actually ask about the sharks in the sanctuary.

1095
00:49:46.260 --> 00:49:48.120
I know you said that nurse sharks are probably,

1096
00:49:48.120 --> 00:49:49.080
like, the most common ones,

1097
00:49:49.080 --> 00:49:51.120
but can you tell us about any more shark visitors

1098
00:49:51.120 --> 00:49:52.440
to the sanctuary?

1099
00:49:52.440 --> 00:49:55.410
<v ->Yes, we have about 11 different shark species</v>

1100
00:49:55.410 --> 00:49:57.360
that we know visit the sanctuary.

1101
00:49:57.360 --> 00:49:58.770
And the way that we know them is not

1102
00:49:58.770 --> 00:50:00.300
necessarily by seeing them,

1103
00:50:00.300 --> 00:50:03.360
but by having tagged individuals

1104
00:50:03.360 --> 00:50:06.330
come into our acoustic arrays

1105
00:50:06.330 --> 00:50:10.170
and being able to triangulate where they were

1106
00:50:10.170 --> 00:50:11.760
and where they originated from,

1107
00:50:11.760 --> 00:50:14.040
which are sometimes off the coast of North Carolina

1108
00:50:14.040 --> 00:50:17.010
or South Carolina or even some in Florida.

1109
00:50:17.010 --> 00:50:19.050
So the different types of species that we have,

1110
00:50:19.050 --> 00:50:22.560
different shark species, are mainly the nurse shark,

1111
00:50:22.560 --> 00:50:25.593
but we also have lemon sharks, tiger sharks,

1112
00:50:26.760 --> 00:50:29.900
white sharks, bull sharks...

1113
00:50:32.010 --> 00:50:34.470
and I'm blanking on some other ones.

1114
00:50:34.470 --> 00:50:36.630
Reef sharks, just general, you know,

1115
00:50:36.630 --> 00:50:39.210
black tip or white tip reef sharks.

1116
00:50:39.210 --> 00:50:41.100
But it is a common place, you know,

1117
00:50:41.100 --> 00:50:43.440
when you have diversity that you saw today

1118
00:50:43.440 --> 00:50:46.083
and, you know, it's a big menu down there.

1119
00:50:47.640 --> 00:50:50.070
If I were a shark I'd wanna eat there

1120
00:50:50.070 --> 00:50:53.823
because there's bountiful opportunities to feed.

1121
00:50:55.830 --> 00:50:56.663
<v Shannon>All right.</v>

1122
00:50:56.663 --> 00:50:59.010
And that rover that you showed was really cool,

1123
00:50:59.010 --> 00:51:00.307
but someone had the question,

1124
00:51:00.307 --> 00:51:02.610
"Is there a concern for the rover damaging

1125
00:51:02.610 --> 00:51:05.280
the bottom invertebrates as it crawls across the bottom?

1126
00:51:05.280 --> 00:51:07.230
How do you control that?"

1127
00:51:07.230 --> 00:51:10.650
<v ->Great question and I'm glad you asked that</v>

1128
00:51:10.650 --> 00:51:12.180
so I could clarify.

1129
00:51:12.180 --> 00:51:14.080
When we deploy the rover

1130
00:51:15.990 --> 00:51:17.490
we have cameras on it so we know

1131
00:51:17.490 --> 00:51:20.220
where it's going, or where it's being dropped.

1132
00:51:20.220 --> 00:51:23.580
We typically also have a diver down there with it to,

1133
00:51:23.580 --> 00:51:25.806
you know, move it off or anything like that.

1134
00:51:25.806 --> 00:51:29.070
But it typically operates, or would typically

1135
00:51:29.070 --> 00:51:31.830
operate on the sand or on things

1136
00:51:31.830 --> 00:51:33.660
that would not damage the reef

1137
00:51:33.660 --> 00:51:36.810
because we want to preserve and conserve

1138
00:51:36.810 --> 00:51:38.523
those ledges as much as we can.

1139
00:51:39.540 --> 00:51:41.725
Conserving those ledges is one reason why

1140
00:51:41.725 --> 00:51:44.283
you cannot anchor while you're in the sanctuary.

1141
00:51:46.150 --> 00:51:47.613
<v Shannon>Okay, and Mark?</v>

1142
00:51:48.960 --> 00:51:50.370
<v Mark>This might not be an easy question</v>

1143
00:51:50.370 --> 00:51:51.448
to answer quickly,

1144
00:51:51.448 --> 00:51:54.442
but are you able to,

1145
00:51:54.442 --> 00:51:57.810
as best you can, touch on some of the changes

1146
00:51:57.810 --> 00:51:59.880
that may have been recorded at Gray's Reef

1147
00:51:59.880 --> 00:52:01.203
due to climate change?

1148
00:52:04.620 --> 00:52:05.643
<v ->Great question.</v>

1149
00:52:10.980 --> 00:52:13.470
I don't know enough about the history

1150
00:52:13.470 --> 00:52:16.410
of the reef, or of the sanctuary

1151
00:52:16.410 --> 00:52:18.450
and what has been recorded over time.

1152
00:52:18.450 --> 00:52:20.940
I do know that the threats of climate change

1153
00:52:20.940 --> 00:52:23.220
specifically to Gray's Reef

1154
00:52:23.220 --> 00:52:27.180
are invasive species and as waters warm,

1155
00:52:27.180 --> 00:52:32.180
species that are used to warmer waters,

1156
00:52:33.512 --> 00:52:35.760
or different waters, staying longer

1157
00:52:35.760 --> 00:52:39.450
and changing the ecosystem there.

1158
00:52:39.450 --> 00:52:42.360
So a fish from the north coming down

1159
00:52:42.360 --> 00:52:44.430
to Gray's Reef during the winter

1160
00:52:44.430 --> 00:52:46.590
for, you know, kind of a vacation

1161
00:52:46.590 --> 00:52:48.690
to get out of colder waters,

1162
00:52:48.690 --> 00:52:51.000
staying a little bit longer than they typically do,

1163
00:52:51.000 --> 00:52:53.790
and changing that food web dynamic.

1164
00:52:53.790 --> 00:52:56.220
So that's one, is invasive species

1165
00:52:56.220 --> 00:52:58.170
and species staying longer.

1166
00:52:58.170 --> 00:53:00.030
Increased storms.

1167
00:53:00.030 --> 00:53:02.040
You know, the storm that we have, Ian, right now,

1168
00:53:02.040 --> 00:53:04.270
is bearing down, just went through Cuba

1169
00:53:05.280 --> 00:53:07.260
and is bearing down on Florida.

1170
00:53:07.260 --> 00:53:11.070
But knowing, you know, where these storms are going

1171
00:53:11.070 --> 00:53:14.130
is a threat to some of these.

1172
00:53:14.130 --> 00:53:18.690
And as climate change progresses in the next, you know.

1173
00:53:18.690 --> 00:53:23.610
Right now we do see climate change

1174
00:53:23.610 --> 00:53:25.230
as increasing the number of storms

1175
00:53:25.230 --> 00:53:27.600
that may come towards the South Atlantic

1176
00:53:27.600 --> 00:53:28.800
and towards Gray's Reef.

1177
00:53:29.730 --> 00:53:32.163
The third one is ocean acidification.

1178
00:53:33.930 --> 00:53:35.670
Gray's Reef is actually a sentinel site

1179
00:53:35.670 --> 00:53:37.830
for ocean acidification monitoring,

1180
00:53:37.830 --> 00:53:40.423
both with the weather buoy and then sensors

1181
00:53:40.423 --> 00:53:44.040
at the sea floor of the weather buoy.

1182
00:53:44.040 --> 00:53:46.590
If you remember those technologies that I went over,

1183
00:53:46.590 --> 00:53:50.670
there was that blue station that a diver was working on,

1184
00:53:50.670 --> 00:53:54.480
that is an ocean acidification monitoring station.

1185
00:53:54.480 --> 00:53:59.480
And so we're able to monitor ocean pH and acidity

1186
00:54:02.250 --> 00:54:06.510
to a great degree and for a continuous amount of time.

1187
00:54:06.510 --> 00:54:08.763
And I'm trying to think of the last one.

1188
00:54:10.110 --> 00:54:13.770
There are two more, but they don't come to mind right now,

1189
00:54:13.770 --> 00:54:15.210
but the main ones are

1190
00:54:15.210 --> 00:54:19.290
increased storm presence and intensity,

1191
00:54:19.290 --> 00:54:21.660
invasive species and species staying

1192
00:54:21.660 --> 00:54:24.330
a little bit too long, or longer than normal,

1193
00:54:24.330 --> 00:54:26.223
and ocean acidification.

1194
00:54:26.223 --> 00:54:27.450
<v Shannon>Okay.</v>

1195
00:54:27.450 --> 00:54:30.090
And the last question is,

1196
00:54:30.090 --> 00:54:32.040
several people have asked what are the

1197
00:54:32.040 --> 00:54:36.780
visitor hours once you get opened.

1198
00:54:36.780 --> 00:54:40.639
<v ->Yeah, these hours will depend on</v>

1199
00:54:40.639 --> 00:54:43.473
our volunteer support and our staff support.

1200
00:54:44.550 --> 00:54:48.870
The open house that is the 19th through the 22nd,

1201
00:54:48.870 --> 00:54:53.550
the hours for that are on Wednesday and Thursday

1202
00:54:53.550 --> 00:54:55.110
are from noon to 7:00.

1203
00:54:55.110 --> 00:54:57.270
So we have some time in the evening

1204
00:54:57.270 --> 00:54:59.580
for locals to come by after work and explore

1205
00:54:59.580 --> 00:55:02.040
the sanctuary in the Ocean Discovery Center.

1206
00:55:02.040 --> 00:55:03.600
And then Friday and Saturday are from

1207
00:55:03.600 --> 00:55:06.480
10:00 to 4:00 and we're working

1208
00:55:06.480 --> 00:55:08.160
to get this up on our website,

1209
00:55:08.160 --> 00:55:10.980
but we will have a schedule of what to expect

1210
00:55:10.980 --> 00:55:13.020
if you're coming down or coming across

1211
00:55:13.020 --> 00:55:16.530
the street to explore and get engaged

1212
00:55:16.530 --> 00:55:18.813
with the Gray's Reef Ocean Discovery Center.

1213
00:55:20.280 --> 00:55:21.130
<v Shannon>Okay.</v>

1214
00:55:22.380 --> 00:55:25.410
Well thank you very much Ben, that was awesome.

1215
00:55:25.410 --> 00:55:27.240
And if we did not get to your question

1216
00:55:27.240 --> 00:55:28.590
or if you have additional ones,

1217
00:55:28.590 --> 00:55:30.270
you can always send them to Ben,

1218
00:55:30.270 --> 00:55:33.210
and his email address is listed here on the screen.

1219
00:55:33.210 --> 00:55:34.950
And we also invite you to visit

1220
00:55:34.950 --> 00:55:36.903
Gray's Reef's website to learn more.

1221
00:55:38.370 --> 00:55:40.500
A video recording of this presentation

1222
00:55:40.500 --> 00:55:42.030
will be available on the sanctuary's

1223
00:55:42.030 --> 00:55:43.470
webinar archive page,

1224
00:55:43.470 --> 00:55:46.200
that's found here at the top.

1225
00:55:46.200 --> 00:55:48.300
We will also be sending you an email

1226
00:55:48.300 --> 00:55:50.970
with that link to that webinar,

1227
00:55:50.970 --> 00:55:53.400
and it takes us about a week to get it captioned

1228
00:55:53.400 --> 00:55:55.470
and then to get it up onto the website.

1229
00:55:55.470 --> 00:55:57.840
So, it'll come just be patient,

1230
00:55:57.840 --> 00:55:59.610
it takes a little bit of time.

1231
00:55:59.610 --> 00:56:02.130
In addition, the webinar is also gonna be monitor-

1232
00:56:02.130 --> 00:56:02.963
I mean, I'm sorry.

1233
00:56:02.963 --> 00:56:04.200
It's also gonna be archived on

1234
00:56:04.200 --> 00:56:06.540
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary's website.

1235
00:56:06.540 --> 00:56:08.340
You just click on the multimedia section

1236
00:56:08.340 --> 00:56:10.500
in the toolbar to access the webinar box

1237
00:56:10.500 --> 00:56:12.150
and you'll also find future webinars

1238
00:56:12.150 --> 00:56:13.410
in that same section.

1239
00:56:13.410 --> 00:56:14.730
But as I said, don't worry,

1240
00:56:14.730 --> 00:56:16.440
all this information is gonna be sent to you

1241
00:56:16.440 --> 00:56:18.813
in an email with a follow up.

1242
00:56:20.160 --> 00:56:23.163
And of course we invite you to follow us on social media.

1243
00:56:24.270 --> 00:56:26.130
And lastly, as you exit the webinar,

1244
00:56:26.130 --> 00:56:27.750
there is a short survey for formal

1245
00:56:27.750 --> 00:56:28.980
and informal educators.

1246
00:56:28.980 --> 00:56:30.540
If you are an educator,

1247
00:56:30.540 --> 00:56:32.190
NOAA would really appreciate it if you would

1248
00:56:32.190 --> 00:56:34.920
just take a minute or two to complete the survey.

1249
00:56:34.920 --> 00:56:36.810
Your answers will help NOAA develop future

1250
00:56:36.810 --> 00:56:38.820
webinars to meet your needs,

1251
00:56:38.820 --> 00:56:40.740
and your participation is voluntary

1252
00:56:40.740 --> 00:56:42.963
and your answers are completely anonymous.

1253
00:56:44.520 --> 00:56:46.230
So once again, we want to thank you Ben

1254
00:56:46.230 --> 00:56:47.670
for a great presentation

1255
00:56:47.670 --> 00:56:50.670
and thank you to everyone who joined us today.

1256
00:56:50.670 --> 00:56:51.810
Have a wonderful day,

1257
00:56:51.810 --> 00:56:54.123
and this concludes the presentation for all.