Ten vessels of varying size comprise the current fleet of NOAA fisheries research vessels (FRVs) dedicated to understanding and managing the nation's fisheries and living marine resources. Most of these vessels were built in the 1960s and are in their twilight years. As part of NOAA Fisheries' modernization initiative, the aging fleet is scheduled to receive some new recruits. Pictured above is the newest FRV in the fleet, the OSCAR DYSON. Launched October 17, 2003, the OSCAR DYSON is the most sophisticated FRV in the world. It has been constructed to meet very specific data collection requirements as well as to meet exacting quietness standards to avoid disturbing the very fish and mammals it is trying to study. Scheduled to be commissioned later in 2004, the OSCAR DYSON's primary mission will be to study and monitor Alaskan pollock and other fisheries in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. The ship will also observe weather, sea state, and other environmental conditions, conduct habitat assessments, and survey marine mammal and marine bird populations.