The Alaska Marine Conservation Council and Native Village of Old Harbor conducted a seven-day marine science camp for local youth at Old Harbor’s Nuniaq camp facility as part of their Marine Ecology Education Partnership.

Fifteen youth took part in a wide array of hands-on research activities, which exposed them to scientific technology and practice from Aug. 8 to 14.

Camp activities ranged from calculating the density of clams to exploring deep-sea habitats with an underwater camera.

Activities were led by marine biologist Michelle Ridgway with participation from Ray RaLonde from Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and Mark Blakeslee, owner and operator of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) used to photograph underwater habitats.

Gwen Christiansen from the Old Harbor Tribal Council was a camp chaperone.

“I observed all the wonderful things they learned about,” Christiansen said. “I think (the kids) were really excited to learn how many species they have right out on the beach they walk on every single day.”

Parents of the youth joined the campers to observe and help on several occasions.

“It was exciting to see all the different creatures they found. They stayed up late at night studying, dissecting and searching for the names of the different things they found, such as the sea creatures and plant forms,” Christiansen said.

Ninth-grade student Benjamin Hoy said one of the most exciting things about the camp was going on the boat with the ROV. Beachcombing was also a winner for him.

“We went on quarter-mile walks on the beach at low tide. We tried to find certain animals and write them down and write what their habitats are,” Hoy said.

“We found some sea cucumbers and they were pretty weird looking. Then we found some different worms,” he said.

Nuniaq Marine Science Camp coincided with one of the year’s lowest tides, at minus 2.2 feet. It gave the students the opportunity to collect and identify diverse marine organisms found in various ecological niches and tidal zones.

Hoy said they found and documented 125 species over the week, but when the list was compiled based on photographs and field notes, the total number came to 181. That includes 92 invertebrates, 47 algae and seagrasses and 42 vertebrates — fish, birds and mammals.

Campers also learned about the marine food web by examining the contents of a halibut’s stomach. A highlight of the camp was two days aboard the fishing vessel Anna D exploring underwater habitats in Sitkalidak Strait with the ROV.

Each camper had the opportunity to operate the ROV with joysticks while observing on a monitor the marine life they encountered in various parts of the water column and on the seashore.

During seven ROV dives, students discovered and observed shoaling jellyfish, corals, rockfish, scallops, halibut and other forms of marine life. Dissection was part of learning about marine life.

“We also caught a halibut and there was an octopus inside the stomach,” Hoy said.

Nuniaq Marine Science Camp was funded through grants from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Old Harbor Native Corp., Rasmuson Foundation and Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

Mirror writer Deanna Cooper can be reached via e-mail at dcooper@kodiakdailymirror.com.