FISHERIES-OCEANOGRAPHY COORDINATED INVESTIGATIONS
STANDARD OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN
Version 6, April 8, 2002

Table of Contents

1.0	STANDARD OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
2.0	PROGRAM OVERVIEW
3.0	OPERATIONS
3.1	Responsibilities
3.1.1	Commanding Officer
3.1.2	Chief Scientist
3.1.3	Scheduling
3.2	Procedures for Operations
3.2.1	CTD/Water Sample Operations
3.2.1.1	CTD Calibration
3.2.2	MARMAP Bongo Tows
3.2.3	Bongo Larval Condition Tows
3.2.4	Live Zooplankton Net Tows
3.2.5	MOCNESS Tows
3.2.5.1	Deck Machinery
3.2.5.2	Electronics
3.2.5.3	Launch, Fishing, and Recovery
3.2.6	CalVET Net Tows
3.2.7	Methot Trawls
3.2.8	Midwater Trawls
3.2.9	Tucker Trawls
3.2.10	Chlorophyll Sampling Operations
3.2.11	ARGOS Satellite-Tracked Drifter Buoy Deployments
3.2.12	SIMRAD EK 500 Scientific Echosounder Monitoring
3.2.13	Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Operations
3.2.13.1	ADCP Observations
3.2.13.2	ADCP Data Collection
3.2.13.3	Scientific Computer System (SCS) Data Logging
3.2.13.4	ADCP Underway Operations
3.2.13.5	ADCP Configurations
3.2.13.6	Data Dispensation
3.2.13.7	Dedicated ADCP Transects
3.2.13.8	ADCP Backtrack-L Calibration
3.2.13.9	ADCP Absolute Backscatter Calibration
3.2.14	Radiometer Operations
4.0	
DISPOSITION OF DATA AND REPORTS
4.1	Data Responsibilities
4.2	Electronic Marine Observation Abstract (E-MOA)
4.3	Electronic Navigation Plot
4.4	Navigation
5.0	FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
5.1	Definition
5.2	Scientific Computer System
5.3	Seachest and Uncontaminated Seawater
5.4	Ultra-Cold Freezer Requirements
5.5	Pre- and Post-cruise Meetings
5.5.1	Pre-cruise Meeting
5.5.2	Post-cruise Meeting
5.6	Ship Operations Evaluation Form
6.0	HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
7.0	COMMUNICATIONS
7.1	Electronic Mail (E-mail)
7.2	Satellite Communications
7.2.1	INMARSAT Mini-M
7.2.2	INMARSAT-B
7.2.3	INMARSAT Standard C
7.3	Cellular Telephone
7.4	Ship Telephone Services
7.5	Ship’s Mail
7.6	Methods and Progress Report
7.7	Receiving Scientific Status Reports
7.8	Use of Radio Transceivers
7.9	Radio Interference
8.0	MISCELLANEOUS
8.1	Scientific Berthing
8.2	Medical Forms and Emergency Contacts
8.2.1	Medical Forms
8.2.2	Emergency Contacts
8.3	Shipboard Safety
8.4	Port Agent Services/Billing
8.5	Wage Marine Working Hours and Rest Periods

FISHERIES-OCEANOGRAPHY COORDINATED INVESTIGATIONS
STANDARD OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN
Version 6, April 8, 2002

1.0	STANDARD OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS - These instructions are a basis for Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI) field operations aboard NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN.  They describe usual and customary procedures for shipboard scientific investigation of the marine ecosystem.  The Standard Operating Instructions plus the specific instructions for each individual cruise constitutes a complete directive of the science mission.  Any changes to procedures described in the Standard Operating Instructions are set forth in the specific instructions for that individual cruise.

2.0	PROGRAM OVERVIEW - FOCI is an effort by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and associated academic scientists.   At present, FOCI consists of a Shelikof Strait (western Gulf of Alaska) walleye pollock project and a NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCCOR)/Coastal Ocean Program (COP) project: Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity (SEBSCC).  FOCI also supports associated projects, such as the Arctic Research Initiative (ARI), United States Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC), and North Pacific Marine Research Program (NPMRP) that address scientific issues related to FOCI's mission.  FOCI's goal is to understand the effects of abiotic and biotic variability on ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea in order to discern the physical and biological processes that determine recruitment variability of commercially valuable finfish and shellfish stocks in Alaskan waters.

3.0	OPERATIONS

3.1	Responsibilities

3.1.1	Commanding Officer - The Commanding Officer shall be in sole command of the vessel and shall be responsible for the welfare of all personnel on board.  The Commanding Officer shall be the final authority in matters relating to the safety, proper navigation, stability, and sailing condition of the vessel.

The Commanding Officer shall inform the Chief Scientist as soon as possible of any changes in the program necessitated by events.  In the case of emergency, nothing in these instructions shall be construed as preventing the Commanding Officer from taking the most effective action which, in the Commanding Officer’s judgment, will rectify the situation causing the emergency, and; thereby, safeguard life, property, and the ship.

The Commanding Officer will have the authority to abort operations temporarily on the basis of clear and present danger to life and property at sea, and will inform the Chief Scientist as soon as safe conditions permit.  Full details of the action taken, rationale, and recommendations will be provided at the earliest opportunity.  Under normal operating conditions, the Commanding Officer shall not take any mission-aborting action without consultation with the Chief Scientist.

3.1.2	Chief Scientist - The Chief Scientist is responsible for executing the technical portion of the scientific mission specified by these Standard Operation Instructions and by specific instructions for each cruise.  Responsibilities also include:
1.	Comportment of visiting scientists and technicians,
2.	Disposition of data, feedback on data quality, and archiving of data and specimens collected,
3.	Administration and physical handling of all scientific party hazardous materials,
4.	Assignment of berthing for the scientific party,
5.	Cleanliness of all berthing, laboratory and storage spaces used by the scientific party,
6.	Delivery of medical and emergency contact forms for the scientific party,
7.	With the Commanding Officer, safe, efficient and economical use of shipboard resources to support the embarked mission.

The Chief Scientist has the authority to revise or alter the technical portion of the instructions as work progresses provided that, after consultation with the Commanding Officer, it is ascertained that the proposed changes will not:

1.	Jeopardize the safety of personnel or the ship,
2.	Exceed the overall time allotted for the project,
3.	Result in undue additional expenses, or
4.	Alter the general intent of these project instructions.

3.1.3	Scheduling - Scheduling of individual activities will depend upon weather conditions and progress of scientific work.  Therefore, firm advance scheduling of events will not be possible, and a continual dialogue between scientific and ship's personnel will be important.  To insure fulfillment of all scientific objectives, the ship is asked to steam at maximum cruising speed allowable by weather and sea state whenever time in transit, or between stations, is greater than one hour.

3.2	Procedures for Operations - The following is a comprehensive list of FOCI operations including gear and procedures for collecting data.  A listing of specific operations to be conducted on each cruise is listed in the FOCI Cruise Instructions.  Changes or alterations to these standard procedures will be noted in the Cruise Instructions.

3.2.1	CTD/Water Sample Operations - A Sea-Bird Electronics’ SBE 911plus Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiler with dual thermistor and conductivity cells will be the primary system.  The primary system will be provided and maintained by Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL).  A backup SBE 9plus CTD is required and will be provided by the vessel.  When available, and where possible, FOCI’s fluorometer and light meter should be mounted on the CTD stand for all casts; however, these instruments cannot exceed the following depths:

•	WET Labs’ WETStar fluorometer cannot exceed 600 meters, 
•	Biospherical Instruments’ QSP-200L4S light meter cannot exceed 1,000 meters, and
•	Sea-Bird Electronics’ SBE 911plus CTD cannot exceed 3,000 meters.

On selected casts, biological samples will be collected.  Water for microzooplankton samples will be collected using 10-liter Niskin bottles; however, when only nutrient or chlorophyll water samples are required, smaller Niskin bottles may be used.

Once the CTD has been deployed, it should be lowered to 10 meters, and then the deck unit should be turned on.  One minute after the pumps have been turned on the CTD can be returned to just below the surface.  Then the data acquisition program and program provided Video Home System (VHS) cassette CTD tape backup system should be started.  The CTD should descend at a rate of 30 meters per minute for the first 200 meters and 40-45 meters per minute below that.  The ascent rate should be 40-45 meters per minute.  One exception to the descent rates occurs on the Bering Shelf in water less than 150 meters.  In this case, the CTD should descend at 10-20 meters per minute during the entire cast.  An entry in the Electronic Marine Observation Abstract (E-MOA) should be made for each CTD cast at the maximum cast depth.  The PMEL CTD Weather Log will be completed by the scientific complement and should be filled out either during the cast or immediately following the completion of the cast.

CTD data will be acquired on a PMEL provided computer using SBE’s SEASOFT application.  Aboard NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN, the capability to display archived CTD data on the ship’s Scientific Computer System (SCS) from a designated computer station will be made available.  Survey technicians and scientists will keep the CTD Cast Information/Rosette Log.  Pressure, primary salinity, secondary salinity, primary temperature, secondary temperature, fluorescence, and light levels will be recorded on the CTD Cast Information/Rosette Log for all water bottle samples.

3.2.1.1	CTD Calibration - Salinity samples will be taken on every cast, or as specified by the Chief Scientist.  No reversing thermometers will be required.  The CTD systems will be equipped with dual thermistors.  If requested, a Survey Technician will run Autosal salinometer analyses during the cruise and record the readings on an Autosal log.

3.2.2	MARMAP Bongo Tows - A 60-cm aluminum bongo frame with 0.505‑mm mesh nets (or 0.333‑mm before mid-May), hard plastic cod-ends, and a 40-kg lead weight for a depressor will be used in standard Marine Assessment Monitoring and Prediction (MARMAP) Bongo tows.  The nets will be deployed at a constant wire speed of 40-45 meters per minute to a maximum depth of 100 meters (or 200 meters before mid-May), or 5-10 meters off bottom in shallower waters.  However, at stations on Lines 8, 16, and 17 in Shelikof Strait and for egg collections, nets will be towed from 10 meters off bottom to the surface.  In addition, one side of the 60‑cm bongo will be changed to 0.333‑mm mesh net.  Furthermore, the 20‑cm bongo with 0.150‑mm mesh nets will be attached to the wire one meter above the 60‑cm bongo frame at Line 8 and at selected other stations.

The winch should be one of the ship’s Markey oceanographic winches equipped with slip rings and at least 2,000 meters of 0.322, 2-layer, 3-conductor oceanographic wire.  A Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT Profiler or SBE 39 Temperature and Pressure Recorder will be attached to the wire above the bongo frame(s) to provide real-time tow data.  The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) will provide the primary SEACAT or SBE 39, and the ship will provide the backup SEACAT.  Before the SEACAT is terminated on the wire by the ship’s electronic technician and the survey technician, a PMEL scientist will note the identification number of the unit and provide the proper calibration file for the computer when the SEACAT from PMEL is used; however, if the ship’s equipment is used, current calibrations should be available.  Personnel from PMEL will provide the acquisition computer and monitor.  There is no requirement for the SEACAT data to be displayed on the Scientific Computer System (SCS).

After the bridge gives permission, the survey technician and one or two scientists will deploy and recover the bongo array.  A scientist will be stationed in the ship’s DataPlot compartment to monitor the SEACAT and to inform the ship’s survey technician and winch operator when the desired gear depth is reached.  The bridge will then be instructed either by the scientist in DataPlot or by the survey technician to enter the position in the Electronic Marine Observation Abstract (E-MOA).  Afterwards, the winch operator is instructed from DataPlot to retrieve the nets at a wire speed of 20 meters per minute.  The ship’s speed should be adjusted to maintain a wire angle of 45° during the entire tow, which is accomplished by the survey technician relaying wire angles to the bridge by radio.  When the nets reach the surface, they are brought aboard and hosed with saltwater to wash the sample into the cod-end.  The sample is preserved as specified in the FOCI Field Manual or sample collection request forms.  In some cases, larvae are sorted and preserved separately.  Flow meters in the nets record the amount of water filtered, and the SBE 19 SEACAT, or SBE 39, records the depth history of the tow.  The scientists on watch are responsible for recording times, maximum depth, wire outs, and flow meter counts on the Cruise Operations Database (COD) forms.  Tows not meeting specifications (i.e., hit bottom, poor wire angles, nets tangled, etc.) may be repeated at the discretion of the scientific watch.

3.2.3	Bongo Larval Condition Tows - A larval condition tow, launched by the ship’s Survey Technician and a scientist on watch, requires that the 60-cm bongo be equipped with either0.333-mm or 0.505-mm mesh nets, flow meters, and taped cod-ends so that live larvae may be obtained.  The selection of the mesh size will depend on the time of field collections, larval size, and amount of algae, to name just a few of the conditions, and will be decided by the Chief Scientist.

This is a vertical tow, with the ship's speed used only to maintain a near vertical wire angle.  The telemetering Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT will be used on the wire to determine the depth, stopping at 70 meters, or 10 meters off bottom in the case of shallow water, and to obtain environmental data that will be saved for each haul.  A scientist will be stationed in Data Plot to monitor the SEACAT and to inform the ship’s survey technician and winch operator when the desired gear depth is reached.  The primary SEACAT will be provided by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and the backup SEACAT will be provided by the ship.  Before the SEACAT is terminated on the wire by the ship’s electronic technician and the survey technician, a PMEL scientist will note the identification number of the unit and provide the proper calibration file for the computer when the SEACAT from PMEL is used.  Personnel from PMEL will provide the acquisition computer and monitor.  There is no need for the SEACAT data to be displayed on the SCS.

The bongo is lowered at 25‑30 meters per minute to the specified gear depth using the starboard Markey oceanographic winch outfitted with a 2-layer, 3-conductor, 0.322" oceanographic wire. During retrieval, the wire haul back speed will be 10 meters per minute.  The tow will be timed starting when the net is being retrieved.  The nets will not be rinsed when they return to the deck to prevent damage to live larvae.  Each cod-end should be held vertical in a clean 5-gallon bucket so that when the cod-ends are detached from the bongo net the water and larvae will spill into the buckets.  The contents of the cod-ends and buckets are then carefully poured into a bowl over ice and sorted quickly for live larvae.  The larvae are then preserved immediately, as specified in the FOCI Field Manual or sample collection request forms.

Flow meters in the nets record the amount of water filtered.  If there are no live larvae found, or few larvae are found in the cod-ends, then the Chief Scientist may request another live tow.  Once the required number of larvae is obtained, the nets and cod-ends should be rinsed to prevent contamination of a quantitative bongo tow.  At the end of the survey, the Chief Survey Technician will provide the Chief Scientist with a copy of the acquired data from the SEACAT and the scientists on watch are responsible for recording times and maximum depth on the Cruise Operations Database (COD).

3.2.4	Live Zooplankton Net Tows - Tows to collect experimental animals for secondary productivity experiments will be taken during large-scale surveys and patch studies.  These collections use a 0.8-meter diameter ring net with a 150- or 200-µm mesh net and a large polycarbonate cod-end that minimizes damage to the organisms.  The net will be deployed using the ship’s starboard Markey oceanographic winch equipped with at least 200 meters of 2-layer, 3-conductor, 0.322" wire.  The ship will be asked to keep station and maintain a near vertical wire angle during the tow.  The ring net and cod-end are "book clamped" to the wire and the Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT is shackled to the wire.  The net will be lowered at a rate of 20 meters per minute to near the bottom.  It is important that the winch be able to maintain a slow, constant retrieval speed, less than or equal to 10 meters per minute.

3.2.5	MOCNESS Tows

3.2.5.1	Deck Machinery - The Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) is deployed whenever possible from the stern platform using the A-frame and the ship’s Rowe winch equipped with 600 to 1,500 meters of single conductor wire of at least 0.375” diameter.  On cruises where the trawl ramp is used, the MOCNESS may be carefully lowered and retrieved over the ramp under calm sea conditions.  In addition, a set of slip rings is requested for the winch.  The manufacturer states that the maximum drag observed on a 1-m2 MOCNESS system was 3,000 pounds.

3.2.5.2	Electronics - The MOCNESS telemeters, in real time, conductivity, temperature, depth, and flow meter data to the surface.  FOCI owns two separate electronic systems for the MOCNESS frame.  The older system consists of two 6-inch outer diameter (OD) pressure cases that sit in separate cradles on the net frame.  This system telemeters data to the ship at one frame every four seconds.  The signal is received in the ship’s DataPlot compartment by a data acquisition deck box that simultaneously routes the data to a computer and a program provided Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) for analog signal backup.  A dot matrix printer is used to print data from every other scan. RS-232 serial input from the ship’s scientific Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver is required to obtain continuous position data for the data stream.  The Data Acquisition System (DAS) software requires an NMEA-0183 $GPGGA Sentence Set for input to the computer’s COM2 serial port.  All acquisition programs are written in Borland TurboPascal version 5.0 and exist as both source code and compiled executable code.  All DAS hardware components sit in the electronics rack in the DataPlot compartment; however, if space availability is limited, please notify the Chief Scientist so that alternative arrangements may be made for mounting components.

The newer system consists of two 4-inch OD pressure cases that sit in the same cradle on the MOCNESS frame and telemeter data to the ship as fast as one frame per second.  The signal is received in DataPlot by a serial modem and is routed to a Pentium-based personal computer located under the bench on the starboard bulkhead.  With this newer system, the signal from the underwater unit is digital instead of analog.  The MOCNESS acquisition station shares a monitor with the Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT data acquisition system.  Serial input of GPS data is required, as for the older system.  The data acquisition software is written in Microsoft Visual Basic running under Windows 3.1; however, we will only have the compiled executable file on board the ship.  Data scans and tow summaries require a color printer.

3.2.5.3	Launch, Fishing, and Recovery - The movable MOCNESS support frame (cart) will be used, as in the past.  On cruises not using trawl gear, the MOCNESS is launched and recovered from the stern grating.  We request that the deck crew construct a 4-foot by 16-foot plywood platform with 2" x 4" side rails to attach to the stern platform.  On these non-trawl cruises, the support frame will be secured to the deck near the net reel when not in use.  On cruises where trawling occurs, the MOCNESS is launched just forward of the trawl ramp and stored off the trawl way between the crane and sorting table.

For safe, efficient launch and recovery of the MOCNESS, the survey technician is asked to lead those events, giving orders to the trawl house while the scientific watch handles the tag lines.  When the weather is rough, a member of the fishing crew may be requested to assist in the deployment and recovery.

A scientist designated as the MOCNESS pilot in the ship’s DataPlot compartment will relay instructions to the winch operator and the bridge to control the descent and ascent rate of the net system.  It is essential that the ship maintain a constant speed through the water during the tow.  Wire payout and haul back rates must be available to the winch operator and should be displayed in DataPlot as well.  The MOCNESS is deployed and recovered while under way cruising at 1.5 knots.  Height off the bottom should be 10 meters in the Gulf of Alaska and 5 meters on the Bering Sea shelf.  Wire is paid out at a rate of 5-25 meters per minute and is retrieved at 5-20 meters per minute under the direction of the pilot.  If a GPS signal is not available to the DAS, then the MOCNESS pilot will inform the bridge as each net is closed and request that the bridge record the position in the Electronic Marine Observation Abstract (E-MOA).  After recovery, the MOCNESS nets are washed down on the aft deck.  It may be necessary to remain on a course that minimizes waves coming up the stern trawl ramp during net washing.

3.2.6	CalVET Net Tows - California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI) Vertical Egg Tow (CalVET) net tows to collect microzooplankton and free-floating copepod eggs will be conducted, sometimes in conjunction with Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiler and Niskin water bottle casts.  Scientists will require the assistance of the ship’s survey technician for deploying and recovering the CalVET net.  The CalVET is clamped to the 2-layer, 3-conductor, 0.322" wire on the starboard Markey oceanographic winch. A “book clamp” is placed on the wire where the cod-ends hang to keep the net taut.  When used with a Sea-Bird Electronic SBE 19 SEACAT, the SEACAT is placed below the cod-ends.  The ship is requested to maintain a near constant vertical wire angle during the entire cast.  After descent to the desired depth, usually 60 meters, the net will then be retrieved at a rate not to exceed 60 meters per minute.  The samples will be washed into the cod-ends, and then preserved in 32-ounce jars with Formalin for later analysis.

3.2.7	Methot Trawls - The Methot trawl is deployed off the stern of the vessel, with the stern platform removed, using the Marco winch equipped with at least 1,000 meters of 7/16” wire rope with a Safe Working Load (SWL) of 2 tons.  A ScanMar Model S40 acoustical depth sensor with readout in the trawl house will be used to receive real-time depth information.  The ScanMar transducer is mounted on the ship's centerboard.  A scientist or survey technician in the trawl house will relay orders for stopping and starting the winch to the winch operator based on trawl depth; otherwise, deployment and retrieval will be the responsibility of the ship’s crew.  The ship's speed should be 2.5 to 3.0 knots through the water.  This trawl will be deployed at 30-40 meters per minute and retrieved at 20 meters per minute.  Tows will be either oblique or stepped oblique, generally from 100 meters to the surface.  Methot trawls may be conducted in daytime or at night with little or no advanced warning.  Where and when the trawl will be conducted depends on plankton catches or acoustic sign.  Therefore, the trawl will need to be activated quickly with little time lost.  Location and time of tows is at the discretion of the Chief Scientist or Scientific Watch Leader.

3.2.8	Midwater Trawls - Marinovich, Rope, or Stauffer midwater trawls may be requested for collecting fish.  Midwater trawls will be deployed using standard shipboard procedures.  The Chief Scientist or Watch Chief will decide trawl locations, times and depths.  Midwater trawls will be conducted day or night, and may depend upon the results of other sampling, such as plankton catches or acoustic sign seen on the SIMRAD EK500 Scientific Echosounder.  When requested, the ship’s crew will need to be activated quickly, with little time lost. Aside from orders relayed from a scientist, deployment and retrieval of each trawl is the responsibility of the ship’s crew. A Furuno wireless netsonde for real-time monitoring of the headrope height is provided by the ship and is usually mounted on the center of the headrope.  A Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 39, provided by the scientists, is mounted alongside the netsonde to provide a record of time, net depth, and ambient temperature.

3.2.9	Tucker Trawls - The Tucker trawl may be used as the primary gear for late-larval surveys, as a backup for the Multiple Opening/Closing Net Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS), or for dedicated predator studies.  When used for late-larval surveys, the Tucker will be equipped with 0.505-mm mesh netting and be towed in a smooth oblique fashion with one net open.  If the Tucker is to be used as a backup MOCNESS sampler, it will have 0.333‑mm mesh netting.  However, four Tucker tows are required to substitute for one oblique MOCNESS tow.  When used for predator studies, it will have 0.505-mm mesh with a 1‑mm cod-end bucket.  When used for discrete depth sampling, a Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT or a SBE 39 Temperature and Pressure Recorder will be attached on the main cable above the bridle.  The messenger release is positioned on the cable above the SEACAT.

The winch should be one of the ship’s Markey oceanographic winches equipped with slip rings and at least 2,000 meters of 0.322, 2-layer, 3-conductor oceanographic wire.  A Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT Profiler or SBE 39 Temperature and Pressure Recorder will be attached to the wire above the bongo frame(s) to provide real-time tow data.  The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) will provide the primary SEACAT or SBE 39, and the ship will provide the backup SEACAT.  Before the SEACAT is terminated on the wire by the ship’s electronic technician and the survey technician, a PMEL scientist will note the identification number of the unit and provide the proper calibration file for the computer when the SEACAT from PMEL is used; however, if the ship’s equipment is used, current calibrations should be available.  Personnel from PMEL will provide the acquisition computer and monitor.  There is no requirement for the SEACAT data to be displayed on the Scientific Computer System (SCS).

After the bridge gives permission, the survey technician and one or two scientists will deploy and recover the Tucker trawl.  A scientist will be stationed in the ship’s DataPlot compartment to monitor the SEACAT and to inform the ship’s survey technician and winch operator when each desired gear depth is reached.  While holding at depth, the first messenger is sent, usually by a scientist, closing the drogue net and opening the first net.  Then at the next desired depth, a second messenger is sent, closing the first net and opening the second.   The winch operator will be instructed by the scientist from DataPlot to retrieve the nets at a wire speed of 20 meters per minute.  The ship’s speed should be adjusted to maintain a wire angle of 45° during the entire tow, which is accomplished by the survey technician relaying wire angles to the bridge by radio.  When the nets reach the surface, they are brought aboard and hosed with saltwater to wash the sample into the cod-end.  The sample is preserved as specified in the FOCI Field Manual or sample collection request forms.  Flow meters in the nets record the amount of water filtered, and the SBE 19 SEACAT, or SBE 39, records the depth history of the tow.  The scientists on watch are responsible for recording times, maximum depth, wire outs, and flow meter counts on the Cruise Operations Database (COD) forms.  Tows not meeting specifications (i.e., hit bottom, poor wire angles, nets tangled, etc.) may be repeated at the discretion of the scientific watch.

3.2.10	Chlorophyll Sampling Operations - Chlorophyll samples will be collected from the 10-liter Niskin bottles filled during Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiler casts.  The scientists will be responsible for collection, filtration, and preservation of samples.  Sampling depths depend on the fluorescence or chlorophyll absorbance meter (ChlAM) profile.  A typical strategy would be samples at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 or 60 meters, depending upon which of the latter two depths is closest to the fluorescence or chlorophyll maximum.  If the maximum is deeper than 60 meters, sampling should be moved deeper with fewer samples in the mixed layer.

When microzooplankton samples are to be collected from the same Niskin bottle, 500 milliliters of water is first removed from the water bottle using a graduated cylinder.  Chlorophyll and nutrient samples are obtained from the collected 500 milliliters in the graduated cylinder.  See the FOCI Field Manual for sampling collection, filtration, and preserving details.  The -70° Celsius freezer is required for sample storage.

3.2.11	ARGOS Satellite-Tracked Drifter Buoy Deployments - Two to three working days before deployment, the Chief Scientist, or designee, will secure the drifter on the back deck.  The drifter buoy is then turned on, usually by removing the magnet, and an e-mail message will be sent by the Chief Scientist, or designee, to Dr. Phyllis Stabeno at Phyllis.Stabeno@noaa.gov, stating the serial number that is stamped on the drifter and the time that it was turned on.  This lead-time is necessary to ensure that telemetry from the buoy is being received and transmitted by the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS).  The method of deployment of the drifter is dependent upon the particular make of drifter and is to be directed by the Chief Scientist, or designee.

3.2.12	SIMRAD EK 500 Scientific Echosounder Monitoring - When requested, the SIMRAD EK 500 Scientific 38‑kHz and 120‑kHz echosounding system in the acoustics lab will be turned on during scientific operations and should be monitored regularly for the presence of unusual acoustic signals or heavy fish sign.  The bridge should notify the scientific watch on duty if any unusual sign appears on the bridge echo sounder.

Because of the vast amount of data and paper generated by this system, the data logger and color printer should only be turned on in an area of interest or when scientifically interesting signals occur.  A trained scientist should be available on each watch to begin logging data and to record station data and file names in the notebook provided.  Files should be backed up onto optical disks and magnetic tape before the end of the cruise following instructions in the Acoustic Research Container (ARC) Manual.  The printer pen cartridges and paper should be replaced as needed.  The Simrad EK 500 settings will be set at the beginning of the cruise and remain the same throughout the cruise.  When data are being logged, the printers need to be checked every hour at a minimum.

3.2.13	Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Operations

3.2.13.1	ADCP Observations - The purpose of the 150-KHz vessel mounted ADCP is to measure the ocean current velocity continuously over the upper 300 meters of the water column, usually in 8-meter depth increments.  Current velocities relative to the earth at this spatial and temporal resolution cannot be measured by other methods: CTD sections, current-meter moorings, or drifting buoys.  Additionally, ADCP data are used to estimate the abundance and distribution of biological scatterers over the same depth range and in the same depth increments.

3.2.13.2	ADCP Data Collection - ADCP measurement requires four instruments working in concert:

1.	The ADCP,
2.	The ship's gyrocompass,
3.	A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and
4.	A GPS Attitude Determination Unit (ADU), presently the TSS Position and Orientation System for Marine Vessels (POS/MV).

The ADCP is connected to a dedicated Personal Computer (PC) and controlled by RD Instruments' (RDI) Data Acquisition System (DAS) version 2.48 software.  DAS shall be configured to use the user-exit programs AGCAVE.COM and UE4.EXE.  Separate written instructions detailing the ADCP setup and configuration files are kept in the large, black ADCP notebook in a filing cabinet drawer of the ship’s DataPlot compartment.

The ADCP PC is interfaced to the ship's gyrocompass, primary scientific GPS receiver, and ADU.  The navigation GPS receiver shall be configured to send NMEA-0183 $GPGGA and $GPVTG sentence sets to the PC’s COM2 serial port at the maximum fix update rate for that receiver (usually a 1- or 2-second rate) and with the maximum number of decimal places for position precision (optimally 4).  The ADU shall be configured to send the NMEA-0183 $PASHR sentence set to the PC’s COM1 serial port once per second.  The user-exit program UE4.EXE shall be configured to control acquisition and processing of GPS and ADU sentence sets, and to synchronize the PC clock with the time reported by the primary GPS receiver.

The ADCP PC logs data from the profiler to Iomega Zip disks.  No more than one Iomega Zip disk will be required for each cruise.  At the end of the cruise, a backup of the Iomega Zip disk should be made to a unique subdirectory on another disk, maintained by the ship for this purpose, until the original data are certified at PMEL.

3.2.13.3	Scientific Computer System (SCS) Data Logging - Detailed post-cruise processing of ADCP data can take advantage of a larger quantity of navigation data than is retained by the ADCP acquisition software.  Thus, the ship's SCS is relied on to log GPS and ADU navigation data at high rates.  An SCS ADCP Event Log should be set up to do this.

ADCP analysis requires the input from navigation, heading, and ADCP electronics box sensors on NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN.  SCS parent sensors, only, need be logged; SCS child sensor logging is not required for ADCP analysis.  The required SCS parent sensors and logging rates are as follows:

SCS Sensor	Logging Rate (sec)	
Trimble P-code GPS $GPGGA	1	
Trimble P-code GPS $GPVTG	1	
Northstar DGPS $GPGGA	10	
Northstar DGPS $GPVTG	10	
Ship’s Gyrocompass $HEHDT	10	
Raw RDI box temperature	60	
Raw RDI box voltage	60	
POS/MV $PASHR	10	
MX-412 DGPS $GPGGA	10	
MX-412 DGPS $GPVTG	10	

For ADCP analysis, no other SCS sensors need be logged, but other users may have their own SCS logging needs.  If those conflict with the ADCP needs for the above sensors, then SCS should be configured to record these at the fastest logging rate required by all users.

In the above table it is assumed that for ADCP purposes, the primary position sensor is the Trimble P-code GPS receiver, and that the Northstar and Leica MX-412 DGPS receivers are secondary.  If the primary GPS receiver should malfunction during a cruise, then the Northstar should be made the primary ADCP navigation device.  This is accomplished by connecting the Northstar to the ADCP’s COM2 serial port, and setting SCS to record the North star’s $GPGGA and $GPVTG sentence sets at 1-second rates.  If the Northstar also fails, then the Leica MX-412 would be made the primary sensor in an analogous manner.  Changes in the availability of GPS equipment shall be communicated to Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) to allow the above list to remain current.  It is the responsibility of the ship to install and enable the appropriate encryption key for use in the P-code receiver should GPS Selective Availability be turned on again by the Department of Defense (DoD).

3.2.13.4	ADCP Underway Operations - The ADCP operates continuously during the entire cruise.  At the start of a cruise, the system shall be configured and started according to the provided checklists Before Leaving Port and Underway to Operations Area.  The ADCP and its interface to the gyro and navigation must be checked daily by completing the ADCP Daily Log and at the end of the cruise with the ship tied to the pier.

The centerboard height affects the depth of sampling; therefore, the centerboard shall be lowered as soon as practical upon leaving port and remain lowered throughout the cruise.  If it is necessary to raise the centerboard during the cruise, the times of raising and lowering must be logged in the Electronic Marine Operations Abstract (E-MOA).

In case of problems, please describe the problem, error message numbers, flashing lights, etc., on the log sheets.  Also, contact Dr. Ned Cokelet at PMEL by telephone, (206) 526-6820, or by e-mail, Edward.D.Cokelet@noaa.gov, as soon as possible.

3.2.13.5	ADCP Configurations - Several ADCP DAS configuration (.CNF) files are provided in the C:\ADCP248 directory on the ADCP PC.  For system checkout before acquiring current data, use CHECK02.CNF or CHECK02X.CNF.  (The X-suffix is appended to all configurations that enable the ADCP to be controlled by an external trigger pulse as required when the ADCP is used in conjunction with an Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) hydroacoustics fish-stock-assessment echo sounder such as the SIMRAD EK500 Scientific Echosounder.  External triggering makes the ADCP and the echo sounder ping and listen in concert, reducing interference.)  For ADCP current measurements, use 02WBT.CNF (or 02WBTX.CNF) when the water depth is less than 500 meters for over two hours.  WBT stands for With Bottom Track, which means the ADCP alternately measures the water and sea-bottom velocities and produces the best accuracy.  If working in water depths greater than 500 m for more than 2 hours, use 02NBT.CNF (or 02NBTX.CNF) where NBT stands for No Bottom Track.  This suspends bottom searching and concentrates all pings in the water for the best reduction in variance.

3.2.13.6	Data Dispensation - At the end of each cruise, a copy of the ADCP ping data logged by the ADCP’s PC and the SCS files for the above sensors only should be sent to:

Dr. E. D. Cokelet
NOAA/PMEL
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, Washington 98115

Telephone:  (206) 526-6820
E-mail:  Edward.D.Cokelet@noaa.gov

3.2.13.7	Dedicated ADCP Transects - One or more dedicated ADCP transects may be requested during a cruise.  Each should be run at constant heading (not constant course-over-ground) if practical, thus minimizing gyrocompass lag.  However, transects along lines of current-meter moorings should remain on the line with the ship's heading gradually adjusted to accomplish this.  Sharp turns should be avoided and the ship's speed should be constant.  A speed of twelve knots is often satisfactory, but the ship may have to slow down if the ADCP's "percent good pings" decreases below 75% in the upper 200-250 meters due to sea state.

3.2.13.8	ADCP Backtrack-L Calibration - Occasionally, the ship may be requested to execute a backtrack-L calibration maneuver to test the instruments and to calibrate the transducer misalignment angle for which a 0.5° error can seriously bias the measurements.  The "misalignment angle" may change with the ship's trim as well as with remounting the ADCP transducers.  The basic idea is to measure the current twice on closely spaced parallel tracks of opposite heading when the ADCP and GPS are working well.  The maneuver consists of four legs (north, south, east and west headings) connected by simple U-turns forming an L shape.  Each leg should be 30 minutes long; the first 10 minutes are to allow the ship and instruments to stabilize on the new heading.  The entire calibration should require about 2 1/2 hours with 5 minutes allowed for each turn.  The following should be considered:

1.	Negligible currents are best; however, stronger currents are acceptable as long as they are reasonably uniform and steady.  Avoid regions of strong horizontal shear due to topography, flow through passes, eddies, and current boundaries.  In tidal currents, calibrate when the current is steadiest, often at maximum flood and ebb rather than at slack water.
2.	Calibration legs can be done in any order provided opposite-headed legs are sequential.
3.	Opposite-headed legs should be parallel and closely spaced, but not retraced.  Use U-turns to minimize gyrocompass oscillations.  Avoid Williamson and hairpin turns.
4.	The ADCP's PC screen should show at least 75%-good pings down to 250 meters.
5.	The ship should go fast enough to detect a misalignment error (over five knots), but slow enough to satisfy condition 4.  This depends on sea conditions; however, ten to twelve knots is often satisfactory.
6.	Choose a time when GPS is navigating and is expected to remain so over the next two hours.

3.2.13.9	ADCP Absolute Backscatter Calibration - A test to calibrate the absolute backscatter strength and to determine the background noise level of the ship’s ADCP system may be performed once per cruise at the discretion of the Chief Scientist.  Specific instructions in such event will be provided by PMEL personnel aboard, and cannot be anticipated in advance of the cruise.  Typically, such a test will be attempted in conditions when weather is relatively calm and the water depth exceeds 250 meters.  This test may require that the main power plant, pumps, sonars, and other sources of acoustic and electronic noise be shut down.  If conducted in the course of normal operations, the work will require about one hour.  There may be opportunities for variations of the test at other times when the ship is at anchor, requiring the cooperation of the ship's officers and engineering watch.

3.2.14	Radiometer Operations - NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN will be equipped with a Biospherical Instruments QSR-240 radiometer to measure solar energy.  The scientists will supply the calibrated instrument, mounting hardware, and cable to run to the ship’s DataPlot compartment.  The scientists will need the assistance of the ship's Electronic Technician and Scientific Computer System (SCS) Manager to correctly install the instrument and make sure that the data stream is being logged by the SCS.

4.0	DISPOSITION OF DATA AND REPORTS

4.1	Data Responsibilities - The Chief Scientist is responsible for the disposition, feedback on data quality, and archiving of data and specimens collected on board the ship for the primary project.  The Chief Scientist will be considered the representative of the Directors of PMEL and AFSC for purpose of data disposition.  A single copy of all data gathered by the vessel shall be delivered to the Chief Scientist upon request for forwarding to the FOCI Coordinator, acting as representative for the Laboratory Directors.  The FOCI Coordinator will be responsible for data archival and distribution of data to other investigators desiring copies.

4.2	Electronic Marine Observation Abstract (E-MOA) - The ship is requested to maintain an E-MOA form using the Scientific Computer System’s Event Logger during the cruise.  The critical information recorded at each station is:

•	Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) date,
•	UTC time,
•	Position,
•	Station number,
•	Haul number,
•	Gear type, and
•	Bottom depth.

4.3	Electronic Navigation Plot - The ship will use the electronic navigation suite’s file system to maintain the position of each operation and station.   If requested, a diskette of the export file will be given to the Chief Scientist.

4.4	Navigation - Observations and reliable fixes shall be plotted and identified by date/time group, or equivalent by ship’s officers.  Fixes shall be evaluated for course and/or speed made good.  Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), radar range and bearing, and/or visual fixes shall provide primary navigational control.

5.0	FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

5.1	Definition - A complete list of equipment to be provided by the ship and program is contained in the FOCI Cruise Instructions for each cruise.  Sufficient consumables, back-up units, on-site spares, and technical support must be in place to assure that operational interruptions are minimal.  All measurement instruments are expected to have current calibrations, and all pertinent calibration information shall be included in the data package.

5.2	Scientific Computer System - The ship's Scientific Computer System (SCS) shall operate throughout the cruise, acquiring, and logging data from navigation, meteorological, oceanographic, and fisheries sensors.  The SCS data acquisition node will provide project scientists with the capability of monitoring sensor acquisition via text and graphic displays.  A data processing node will be available to project scientists throughout the cruise, configured according to the specifications of the FOCI SCS administrators.  In addition, scientists will provide any calibration information applicable for their instruments connected to the ship’s SCS.
Sensor identification, data acquisition, and logging parameters are specified in the system file SENSOR.DAT.  The ship’s SCS manager shall maintain this file in a current state throughout the cruise.  The FOCI SCS administrators, at the start of the field operations season, will provide specific FOCI requirements for the content of the SENSOR.DAT file.  SCS Sensor Specifications is a listing of the sensor specifications attached as an appendix to these Standard Operating Instructions; the appendix is normally added by the beginning of February.  Changes to the SENSOR.DAT specifications may be made by the ship's SCS manager on a cruise-by-cruise basis at the request of the Chief Scientist.  All changes in content of the SENSOR.DAT file shall be communicated to the FOCI SCS administrators.
SCS sensor data logged to disk files is organized into several Event Log groupings according to intended post-cruise processing.  The FOCI SCS administrators specify these Event Logs at the start of the field operations season.  The ship's SCS manager will assign data elements from newly installed sensors to the appropriate Event Log(s) and inform the FOCI SCS administrators of such changes.
NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN will run the backup SCS machine at the same interval as the primary SCS machine.  In the event that either SCS machine breaks down the SCS manager will commence routine backups of the SCS at intervals not to exceed twelve hours.  At the end of the cruise, the ship's SCS manager will archive data from disk files to recordable compact diskettes (CD-R) for delivery to the project representative.  Additional recording of processed data may be requested of the ship's SCS manager; if so, specific instructions will be found in the Cruise Instructions.  The ship's SCS manager will ensure data quality through the administration of standard SCS protocols for data monitoring.  If requested by the Chief Scientist, standard SCS daily quality assurance summaries will be prepared for review.  During the cruise, the scientific party may require the assistance of the ship's SCS manager to determine if all sensors are functioning properly and to monitor some of the collected data in real time to make sampling strategy decisions.
The FOCI SCS co-administrators are:

•	Tiffany Vance (AFSC):	(206) 526-6767; e-mail: Tiffany.C.Vance@noaa.gov
•	Dave Kachel (PMEL):	(206) 526-6195; e-mail: Dave.Kachel@noaa.gov

5.3	Seachest and Uncontaminated Seawater - Sea surface temperature, conductivity, and a program provided fluorescence will be continuously monitored.  Data from the Sea-Bird Electronics (SBE) thermosalinograph installed in the sonar void seachest shall be sent to the Scientific Computer System (SCS).  Uncontaminated seawater from this chest will be continuously pumped to the Chemistry Laboratory and through a fluorometer, when requested.
The ship’s Electronic Technician will be responsible for inspecting, and when required, cleaning the seachest and conductivity cells monthly.  The scientists will be responsible for regularly cleaning the cuvette, inside the fluorometer, and obtaining and processing the calibration samples.  Calibration samples will be taken at each bongo station, or one hour apart, whichever is more frequent.
A standard template file specifying these data types shall be maintained for all FOCI cruises by the ship's SCS manager.  American Standard Code for Information Exchange (ASCII) logger files will be included in the periodic backup of SCS data for distribution at the end of the cruise.  The Chief Scientist may request that these data be made available on DOS-formatted media at the completion of the cruise.

During the cruise, the ship's complement will be responsible for ensuring that data streams from the instruments are correctly logged by the SCS, checking the logger status display once per watch to determine that the instruments are functioning, and for taking salinity calibration samples every other day for thermosalinograph corrections.

The ship's SCS ASCII-Logger feature shall be configured to log one-minute averaged data throughout each FOCI cruise logging the data to the filename TSG and should include:

•	GPS Time,
•	GPS Latitude,
•	GPS Longitude,
•	Water Depth, in meters,
•	Seawater (seachest) Temperature,
•	Seawater (seachest) Salinity, and
•	Laboratory Fluorometer Voltage

5.4	Ultra-Cold Freezer Requirements - The scientific ultra-cold freezer will remain on the ship in operating condition from the beginning of the first FOCI cruise until the ship returns to Seattle and the samples within can be unloaded.  Since valuable samples will be in the unit, operation must be continuous without interruption.  Therefore, the unit should be hardwired into the ship's electrical system or connected with a threaded plug.  The unit must be securely fastened to a bulkhead or counter, easily accessible, with a minimum of four inches on each side around the bottom.  The location, fastening, and wiring should be similar to the configuration that FOCI has used in the past.

The freezer has an alarm, but ship's personnel are requested to check the digital temperature display twice daily to insure that the operating temperature is below -60°C.  The unit will be locked between cruises, and a key left with the Chief Survey Technician.  In the event that the unit fails, the temperature will maintain for about twelve hours if the lid is not opened.  If the unit fails and cannot be fixed on the ship, the scientific blast freezer should be pre-cooled to its minimum (-38°C), and all frozen specimens should be transferred to it immediately, without thawing.  Kevin Bailey must be notified by either telephone or e-mail.  A daily record of the temperature (digital readout) on the scientific ultra-cold freezer will be submitted to Kevin Bailey upon the ship's return to Seattle.

Kevin M. Bailey
Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)
F/AKC1
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, Washington 98115-6349

Telephone: (206) 526-4243
Facsimile: (206) 526-6723
E-mail: Kevin.Bailey@noaa.gov

5.5	Pre- and Post-cruise Meetings

5.5.1	Pre-cruise Meeting - A pre-cruise meeting between the ship’s representative and the Chief Scientist will be held before the start of the cruise.  Its purpose is to identify the day-to-day requirements of the project in order to best utilize shipboard personnel resources and to identify overtime requirements.  A brief meeting of all scientific personnel, the Operations Officer, Chief Boatswain, survey department, and other relevant ship's personnel should be held before the vessel reaches the operations area for the purposes of:

1.	Introducing new scientific personnel to ship's procedures, proper channels, etc.,
2.	Discuss operating procedures for deploying various pieces of sampling equipment, and
3.	Coordinating scientific watch assignments.

5.5.2	Post-cruise Meeting - If necessary, a debriefing will be held between the Chief Scientist and the Commanding Officer.   If serious problems are identified, the Commanding Officer shall notify the Marine Center by the most direct means available.  The Chief Scientist shall document identified problems in the Ship Operations Evaluation Form.

5.6	Ship Operations Evaluation Form - One Ship Operations Evaluation Form should be completed for each cruise or leg within 30 days of cruise completion.   The Chief Scientist will complete the form and submit it through the Laboratory or Center Director for forwarding to the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). An Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format version can be downloaded from http://www.omao.noaa.gov/pdffiles/ship_eval.pdf.

6.0	HAZARDOUS MATERIALS - In accordance with NC Instructions 6280B - Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste Policy, Guidance, and Training, dated March 20, 1992, all NOAA ships will operate in full compliance with all NOAA hazardous materials (HAZMAT) requirements.  All hazardous materials and substances needed to carry out the objectives of the embarked science mission, including ancillary tasks, are the direct responsibility of the embarked designated Chief Scientist, whether or not that Chief Scientist is using them directly.  The ship's Environmental Compliance Officer will work with the Chief Scientist to ensure that this management policy is properly executed.

All hazardous materials require a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).  Copies of all MSDSs shall be forwarded to the ship at least four weeks before sailing.  The Chief Scientist shall have copies of each MSDS available when the hazardous materials are loaded aboard.  HAZMAT for which the MSDS is not provided will not be loaded aboard.

The Chief Scientist will provide the Commanding Officer with an inventory indicating the amount of each hazardous material brought onboard, and for which the Chief Scientist is responsible.  This inventory shall be updated at departure, accounting for the amount of material being removed in its original state, the amount consumed in science operations, and the amount being removed in the form of used chemicals.

All HAZMAT, except small amounts for ready use, must be stored in the ship’s HAZMAT Locker.  If science party requirements exceed ship's storage capacity, excess HAZMAT must be stored in dedicated lockers meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration  - National Fire Protection Association (OSHA/NFPA) standards to be provided by the science party.

The scientific party, under supervision of the Chief Scientist, shall be prepared to respond fully to emergencies involving spills of any mission HAZMAT.  This includes providing properly trained personnel for response, as well as the necessary neutralizing chemicals and clean-up materials.  Ship's personnel are not first responders and will act only in a support role in the event of a spill.  The Chief Scientist shall provide a list of science party members that are properly trained to respond in the event of HAZMAT spills.

The Chief Scientist is directly responsible for the handling, both administrative and physical, of all scientific party hazardous material.  No liquid hazardous material shall be introduced into the ship's drainage system. No solid hazardous material shall be placed in the ship's garbage.  If Formaldehyde enters the ship’s drains, solidifying agents will not be added.  Instead, the drains will be thoroughly flushed and the Engineering Department will pump out the ship’s gray water tank.  This is to avoid solidification of the ship’s plumbing system.

The embarking Chief Scientist will work with the departing Chief Scientist and the ship's Environmental Compliance Officer to ensure proper tracking of inherited hazardous materials.

7.0	COMMUNICATIONS - For scientific projects, the Chief Scientist, or their designated representative, may have access to the ship's communications systems on a cost reimbursable basis.  Whenever possible, it is requested that direct payment be used as opposed to after-the-fact reimbursement, such as credit or calling card, etc.  NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN has several types of communication systems available to communicate directly with shore-based facilities or other vessels at sea.  Specific information on how to contact NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN and all other fleet vessels can be found at http://www.moc.noaa.gov/phone.htm.

7.1	Electronic Mail (E-mail) - FOCI requests that NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN transmits e-mail at least twice a day.  At sea, electronic e-mail is sent and received by the onboard INMARSAT B and INMARSAT Mini-M systems.  In recent years, the proliferation of e-mail and the reduction of INMARSAT costs have permitted the sending of nominal amounts of personal e-mail when transmitted with official ship's business.  The availability of e-mail services is a valuable quality of life issue aboard ship.  Accordingly, a complimentary amount of personal use will be permitted for all personnel aboard.  At the current time, the complimentary amount established by the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is set at $45.00 per month for e-mail transmission costs.  There is no provision for payment to a person who does not utilize the complimentary amount.

It should be understood that the cost of personal e-mail being transmitted from shore to an individual aboard ship will be charged against that individual's complimentary amount.  A detailed billing statement will be issued periodically to any individual or Chief Scientist whose costs have exceeded their group's monthly entitlement.  All costs in excess of an individual's or group's complimentary amount must be reimbursed.  When personal use cannot be easily distinguished from official business, the amount of reimbursement will equal the total cost, minus the complimentary amount.

Each embarked personnel will have an e-mail account and address established in their name by the Lead Electronic Technician at the time of arrival.  The general format for a user’s e-mail address is Firstname.Lastname@mfnems.pmc.noaa.gov.

7.2	Satellite Communications - INMARSAT-B (voice and facsimile) and INMARSAT Mini-M (voice) communications are available aboard ship and may be used for personal or business related calls.  Arrangements to pay for the calls must be made before calling.  Credit card calls are the preferred method of payment.  INMARSAT calls can be extremely expensive and the exact cost may not be known until you receive your bill.  If you do not have a credit card and need to make an INMARSAT call, arrangements to pay by personal check may be arranged with the Executive Officer.  Brevity is encouraged.  See the Lead Electronic Technician (LET) for any questions regarding the use of these telephones.  All requests for INMARSAT calls, whether for official or personal business, will require the approval of the Executive Officer or Commanding Officer.

7.2.1	INMARSAT Mini-M - The Nera Worldphone Mini M is used mainly as a back up to the INMARSAT B.  It has voice, facsimile, and 2400-baud data communications terminal.  Cost is approximately $2.30 per minute, which may be charged to a credit card or directly reimbursed.  INMARSAT Mini-M service coverage is generally the same as INMARSAT-B.

7.2.2	INMARSAT-B - A Magnaphone MX-2464 INMARSAT-B is located in the Radio Room and interfaced with the ship's Private Branch Exchange (PBX) telephone system.  The terminal provides voice, facsimile, data, and telex connectivity via the worldwide INMARSAT satellite system.  Data speeds are 9600 and 56/64K baud.  The ship's e-mail is usually sent via INMARSAT-B on either the low or high-speed data connection.  Approximate costs range from $3.00 per minute (low speed) to $10.00 per minute (high speed).

7.2.3	INMARSAT Standard C - The Trimble Galaxy Standard-C is used mainly for Telex type store and forward message service with approximately 500-baud message transfer rate.  Because of the high expense and slow data transfer rate, the system is generally only used for ship's business, such as weather reporting and telex to shore based facilities.

7.3	Cellular Telephone - Routine incoming non-emergency telephone calls are discouraged.  A cellular telephone is located in the Radio Room and is interfaced with the ship's PBX telephone systems.  The ship carries a cellular telephone for ships business when in range of a cellular station.  Use of the cellular telephone will be on a pay basis and require the approval of the Commanding Officer or Executive Officer.  Personnel are encouraged to bring their own cellular telephones if the project will be in the area of land-based cells.

7.4	Ship Telephone Services - Routine incoming non-emergency telephone calls are discouraged.  The ship's telephone is primarily used for ship's business.  The individual making the call must pay for long distance personal calls.

7.5	Ship’s Mail - Incoming letters and packages can be sent to embarked members of the ship’s crew and scientific complement by addressing them to:

Name
NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN
1801 Fairview Avenue East
Seattle, Washington 98102

Mail received at the marine center will be periodically forwarded to the ship’s next port of call.  When the ship is on a foreign deployment, senders are encouraged to mail letters and packages early to ensure delivery.  Some foreign customs authorities routinely open and inspect incoming mail.  Arrangements for ship’s outgoing mail will be made on the morning of departure.  In foreign ports, mail must have United States postage affixed as it will be boxed and shipped to Marine Operations Center, Pacific where it will enter the United States postal system.  United States postal stamps are not routinely available aboard ship.

7.6	Methods and Progress Report - NOAA Ship Miller Freeman does not maintain an exact Just File Transfer (JFT) radio schedule with Marine Operations Center, Pacific; however, the ship uses e-mail.  Radio contact will be maintained when possible. The Chief Scientist will send a scientific progress report to their respective Field Operations Leader via International Maritime Satellite (INMARSAT) Voice, Fax, or e-mail at least once a week.

7.7	Receiving Scientific Status Reports - The Chief Scientist may anticipate the need for daily reports on the position of satellite drifters in the study area and on the status of biophysical mooring(s).  These will be sent either by facsimile from PMEL over INMARSAT or over the Internet from PMEL to the Marine Operations Center, Pacific radio room and forwarded to the ship.

7.8	Use of Radio Transceivers - Because it is sometimes necessary for the scientific staff to communicate with other research vessels, commercial vessels, and shore based NOAA facilities, the Chief Scientist or designee may request the use of radio transceivers aboard the vessel.

7.9	Radio Interference - Some scientific equipment is sensitive to radio frequency interference.  When interference occurs, it may be necessary to adjust operations and communications schedules if efforts to electronically isolate the equipment are unsuccessful.

8.0	MISCELLANEOUS

8.1	Scientific Berthing - The Chief Scientist is responsible for assigning berthing for the scientific party within the spaces approved as dedicated scientific berthing.  The Operations Officer is requested to send stateroom diagrams to the Chief Scientist showing authorized berthing spaces.  The Chief Scientist is responsible for returning the scientific berthing spaces in the condition in which they were received, for stripping bedding, for linen return, and for the return of any stateroom keys that were issued.  Only one set of linen and towels are provided to embarked personnel; the scientific complement is responsible for laundering their own linen and towels during the cruise.

The Chief Scientist is responsible for the cleanliness of the laboratory spaces and storage areas used by the science party, both during the cruise and at its conclusion before departing the ship.

In accordance with NC Instructions 5255.0 - Controlled Substances Aboard NOAA Vessels, dated August 6, 1985, all persons boarding NOAA vessels give implied consent to conform to all safety and security policies and regulations, which are administered by the Commanding Officer.  All spaces and equipment on the vessel are subject to inspection or search at any time.

8.2	Medical Forms and Emergency Contacts

8.2.1	Medical Forms - Each participating scientist must complete the NOAA Health Services Questionnaire and submit it to the following recipient no later than four weeks before the cruise:

Commander Thomas J. Edwards, USPHS
Marine Operations Center, Pacific
Health Services (MOPx3)
1801 Fairview Avenue East,
Seattle, Washington 98102-3767

Telephone: (206) 553-8704
Facsimile: (206) 553-1112
E-mail: Thomas.J.Edwards@noaa.gov

This will allow time to clear an individual medically, to request more information if needed, and to help prepare for special circumstances.  The Chief Scientist will send out the forms to all participating scientists.  It is requested that all personnel bring any prescription medication needed and any over-the-counter medicine that is taken routinely. These medications are provided on board but supplies are limited and chances to restock are few.  An Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format health questionnaire can be downloaded from http://www.moc.noaa.gov/all_ships/noaa-hsq.pdf.

8.2.2	Emergency Contacts - Prior to departure, the Chief Scientist must provide a listing of emergency contacts to the Executive Officer for all members of the scientific party, with the following information: name, address, relationship to member, and telephone number.

8.3	Shipboard Safety - Bare or stocking feet are not allowed outside staterooms because of the risk of injury from slipping on wet decks, other hazards, and hygiene.  Open-toed shoes may be worn only in non-working, interior spaces.  When conducting operations, personnel involved with the deployment and recovery of scientific equipment, or the launching and recovery of small boats, are required to wear hard hats and flotation devices.  All employees are encouraged to wear safety shoes or boots.  The following safety regulations will be observed when working on deck:

•	Life vests or floats coats will be properly worn when handling equipment over the side, deploying equipment over the side, and on all launches (whether alongside the ship, launching, or recovering),
•	Safety belts and lines will be worn by those handling equipment over the side,
•	Hardhats will be worn by all those involved in recovery or deployment of equipment and boats,
•	Proper footwear should be worn at all times, and
•	Ship's equipment is to be operated only by qualified members of the ship's complement.

8.4	Port Agent Services/Billing - Contractual agreements exist between the port agents and the Commanding Officer for services provided to NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN.  Costs for any services arranged through the ship’s agents by the scientific program, which are considered to be outside the scope of the agent/ship support agreement, will be the responsibility of that program.  Direct payment must be arranged between the scientific party and the port agent, as opposed to after-the-fact reimbursements to the ship’s account.

8.5	Wage Marine Working Hours and Rest Periods - The Chief Scientist shall be cognizant of the reduced capability of the ship’s operating crew to support 24-hour mission activities with a high tempo of deck operations at all hours.  Wage marine employees are subject to negotiated work rules contained in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.  All wage marine employees are supervised and assigned work only by the Commanding Officer or designee.  The Chief Scientist and the Commanding Officer shall consult regularly to ensure that the shipboard resources available to support the embarked mission are utilized safely, efficiently and with due economy.