These are archived boat logs from previous months sampling beginning in February 2002.

31 July 2004: Once again we completed all our samples for the months of June and July. The weather was far more cooperative than May. We were able to tag a few sharks including: some juvenile bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas and lemon sharks Negaprion brevirostris at the Chandeleurs and Lake Borgne. All the rain we had in June is now catching up with us by lowering the salinities to below "normal" values, even at the Chandeleur Islands. However, now that the summer heat is turned all the way up to "broil", we should start to see some of the transient species associated with warmer water temperatures. Hopefully the August boat log will have some pics of these species.

14 June 2004: The weather in May was less than conducive for field research. The wind blew 20-25 knots the entire time we were at the Chandeleur Islands. We managed to complete all our samples and even had time to tag and release a dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus along with a few Atlantic stingrays Dasyatis sabina and the migratory cownose rays Rhinoptera bonasus. Kenny Blanke worked on his grassbed/fishtrap master's project. He is starting to see some interesting results already. The ride home from the islands was so nasty that the crew had to tie themselves down so they wouldn't come off of the floor. Hopefully the month of June is a little more foregiving with us and we have some interesting finds to share.

25 May 2004: The April boat log is a bit late, but we had quite a busy month. We measured a small Gulf sturgeon Acipenscer oxyrhyncus desotoi from Lake Borgne near the Rigolets and released it unharmed. The trips to the Chandeleur Islands became more productive as the water temperatures increased. Kenny worked on his master's project with Dr. Turner's assistance once again. We were able to tag and release a few more bullsharks at the Chandeleurs, (look closely at the photo and you can see the orange tag) while managing to avoid the often unpredictable spring weather. Our lab will be in Oklahoma over Memorial Day at the annual joint meetings of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. A miniature version of the poster that Chris Schieble is presenting is below. Click on it to enlarge it.

16 March 2004: The last two months have been less than ideal for sampling weather-wise. We were able to get our samples done, however. The February sampling at the Chandeleur Islands turned out to be more productive than expected. A lot of the fish are returning to the islands, most likely due to the warmer water being blown in by the strong southeast winds we experienced. Some of the largest black drum (Pogonias cromis) we have ever sampled, along with migratory species like the cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) showed-up this trip. Most of the cownose rays were tagged and released. A trio of nice blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) were sampled near the lighthouse. Tissue samples were once again taken from some of the specimens for stable isotope analyses. Kenny Blanke began the first stages of his masters's thesis by scouting sites for his project in the Zodiac© and running his first round of samples. We finally had some time while the wind was blowing to check-out the beach. Field samples were finalized each day by a fabulous sunset as usual...

30 December 2003: Our final boat log entry of 2003 puts the exclamation mark on an outstanding year of research for the crew of the Cavalla. We began a new and logistically difficult project at the Chandeleur islands. We gained two new researchers: Dr. Jason Turner and Jeffrey VanVrancken, who have turned-out to be excellent additions to the crew. We've learned a lot this past year about mother nature, as well as human nature. We hope to have an equally impressive year in 2004, as we continue our Chandeleur project through October. Keep checking back for monthly photo updates of new and interesting species we collect. Here are pics from November sampling and some of our samples from Lake Borgne in December. We were unable to sample Chandeleur in December due to the weather.

6 October 2003: We finally established three collecting stations along the Chandeleur Island chain last month. In doing so we encountered some Lemon sharks: Negaprion brevirostris along with huge Atlantic stingrays Dasyatis sabina. We will have some more pics from our first complete sampling trip coming up in one week.

12 September 2003: The last two months have been spent searching for new sites to sample in Lake Borgne and the Chandeleur Islands. We have been very fortunate with regards to the weather, and that has allowed us to accomplish most of our scouting trips. The pictures here are from sites in Lake Borgne. Pictures from the Chandeleur Islands will follow soon.

14 July 2003: The month of June was quite similar to May. We were very successful in finding the Bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas, even at night! We had the distinct pleasure of sampling with our department Chairman, Dr. Sam Rogers. The end of the month brought us tropical storm Bill. He deposited 7 inches of rain and a storm surge of 5 feet, flooding a large portion of southeast Louisiana. The lake is mostly fresh water now, making it difficult to find many of the resident species. Hopefully by next months update some of the fishes should return to the lake.

8 May 2003: The Cavalla crew had a close encounter with the largest Bull Shark Carcharhinus leucas the crew has ever captured in the lake. The bull came from Goose Point along the north shore of the lake in about three feet of water. The newest member of the crew, Jason Turner, was initiated properly. The Speckled trout were in thick near the trestles and Hwy 11 bridges in April. The Cavalla also has a new mascot, Jabberjaws, from Six Flags theme park.

20 March 2003: Just like flipping a switch, as the water temperature warmed, the fish returned to the lake. Night trawls were productive as always, with a nice box of croakers Micropogonias undulatus from the spillway. We also tangled with a nice school of sheephead Archosargus probatocephalus from near the Hwy. 11 bridge. The real treat came, however, in the form of two more Gulf sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhynchus desotoi from the lake. One was captured and released at Goose Point (642-mmSL,765-mmTL). The other was captured and released near the Hwy. 11 bridge on the south shore of the lake(319-mmSL,390-mmTL). There were no tags on either fish. These two individuals comprised our largest and smallest sturgeon captured from the lake. The lake must be improving, since we have now captured four sturgeon that were once listed as extirpated from Lake Pontchartrain.

3 February 2003: The beginning of a new year for the Cavalla crew started off with a couple of whoppers! A huge Alligator gar (Atractosteus spathula) and one of the largest Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) we've ever captured. The Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) are once again ubiquitous throughout the lake. Dr. O'Connell was able to get a hold of one of his favorite species Alosa chrysochloris the Skipjack herring, as well as sample some phytoplankton for the stable isotope analyses.

4 December 2002: This will be my final entry into the Cavalla log for 2002. December samples will be posted in 2003. This year was memorable for many reasons, including: the arrival of the Cavalla, two hurricanes and many visitors to the lake that have been eluding us for some time. November was no different. Another Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrynchus was observed. The Silver Jenny Eucinostomus gula were sampled in good numbers, as well as a bonanza of Redfish captured once again in the grassbeds near Goosepoint. More Striped bass Morone saxatilis were found on the north shore as well as Seabrook Bridge. The month ended in tranquility with Dr. O'Connell returning to his roots with a brail in hand!

31 October 2002: October was a very maddening month for most Louisianians. The destructive forces of Hurricane Lilli caused major flooding problems for many. Some mariners were not very fortunate either. The hurricane did bring some rare visitors to the lake, including: Silver Jenny (Eucinostomus gula), Atlantic Bumper (Chloroscombrus chrysurus), Southern Kingfish (Menticirrhus americanus), Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), Pugnose minnow (Opsopoeodus emiliae), and a Cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus).

We captured some nice Spanish mackeral again this month near the Highway 11 bridge. It is definitely Red October again. We picked-up some good Redfish near Goosepoint and Bayou Lacombe in the grassbeds.

30 September 2002: This was a month of reflection and remembrance for the crew. We flew our flag high astern! We were greeted once again by the most dangerous shark Carcharhinus leucas (The Bull Shark). One happened to be the biggest all summer, measuring 48 inches and weighing in at 18 pounds. The end of the month was cut short by the destructive arrival of Tropical Storm Isidore.

22 August 2002: We had a visit from Tropical Storm "Bertha" early in the month. She pushed a large amount of storm surge into the lake and along with it came some unique visitors. We captured Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus, adult and juvenile Crevalle jacks Caranx hippos, Striped blennies Chasmodes bosquianus and our first Ballyhoo and juvenile Mangrove snapper from Lake Borgne. As the pictures will attest to, it has definitely been shark month in Lake Pontchartrain. Shark in a box anyone?

Early in the month we did a photo-shoot of the Cavalla for the alumni news magazine of UNO. The pictures were all taken by Greg Nelson from the Alumni and Development Center at UNO.

23 July 2002: This month was very busy. We presented our posters on Lake Pontchartrain fishes at the 82nd. annual joint meetings of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Kansas City. Immediately upon return of the crew, the Cavalla was back in action. We had the pleasure of being accompanied by two Australians; David Crook and Allison King. We also had the rare and distinct pleasure of having our mentor Dr. Bob Cashner along.

We also captured two rarely caught Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) near the Tangipahoa River. Kenny had to administer CPR to the big one. If the fish will not come to you, you must go to the fish, spear in hand... The heat wave finally returned and the crew found the time to "cool off."

14 June 2002: The first week of June we finally celebrated the construction of the Cavalla with the ceremonial breaking of the champagne and a Louisiana crawfish boil. We had the pleasure of celebrating with Miles Thomas, our boat builder and owner of Island Boats Inc. Our current sampling this month has produced a cacophony of catfish which Kenny has taken great pleasure in conquering. The gillnet snagged a magnitude of mussels (Ishadium recurvata) near Irish Bayou, much to the displeasure of the crew.

31 May 2002:

The month of May began much like April, with the wind blowing and waves rocking the boat. But, we did catch our first large Black drum (Pogonias cromis) of the season in the repeat trawls. The month was capped off by a nice day with the gillnet as well as productive night samples capturing a large Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) as well as numerous other species.

30 April 2002: April came and went as fast as the wind was blowing. Sampling was not easy in the 3 to 4 foot swells we had all month, but we caught some curious fish. We got our first Cutlass fish of this season, along with our first Striped bass ever! We also found someone's dead Yarddog (alligator)! The month ended with a beautiful sunset, hopefully a preview of May!

11 April 2002: This has been a remarkable month for the crew. They were treated with a visit from an Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus). This fish is listed as extirpated from Lake Pontchartrain.

8 March 2002: Take the "Big Dogs" out on the boat day! The "crew" was accompanied by Dr. Robert Cashner, Dr. Joe King, and Laura Schwemm for an outing of trawl demonstrations.

13 March - 28 March 2002: The Cavalla completed its standard month of sampling the Nekton of Lake Pontchartrain. These are pics of the crew working at Point Aux Herbes or P-1.