Where are they now? An update from 2023 NECWA volunteer Carly Burns

Carly Burns was a volunteer during the 2023 NECWA Summer Diamondback terrapin field season and the fall Marine Wildlife stranding season. Carly especially loved working with ocean sunfish (Mola mola), which helped her to realize her love for fieldwork and marine biology. This inspired her to become a New England Fisheries Observer with AIS and NOAA. She worked on commercial fishing boats all over New England, collecting data about bycatch and marine mammals.

The experience she gained working in Wellfleet Harbor helped prepare her for the rough weather out at sea. Her education at the University of Maryland was focused on ecosystem restoration with limited focus in marine biology. Her experience with NECWA filled the gaps in her transcript allowing her to participate in this unique fieldwork opportunity.

Carly says “I truly owe all of my initial fieldwork education to Krill and NECWA. This experience taught me the importance of accurate and specific data collection in the field. Being as descriptive as possible is key in order to have good field notes.”

Carly doing outreach at Reds Best in Boston.
Behind her are the totes/crates the fish go into. 

Carly has since transitioned to work for NOAA Fisheries’ Fisheries Management Operations branch where she works helping run the Biological Portside Sampling Program under the New England Fisheries Observer Program contract. Carly says “I really enjoy helping develop this program and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to continue to do fieldwork! I have a photo of me rescuing an ocean sunfish in my office and I make sure to tell everyone about the funny stories trying to catch them in shallow water using kayaks and hula hoops with pool noodles!”