[2] To name the ship and promote interest in science, NOAA held a regional contest requiring submission of a proposed name and an accompanying essay supporting the choice of name.

Her oceanographic hydrophones are mounted on a retractable centerboard, or drop keel, that lowers scientific transducers away from the region of hull-generated flow noise, enhancing the quality of the data collected.

To take full advantage of these advanced data-gathering capabilities, she has the Scientific Sonar System, which can accurately measure the biomass of fish in a survey area.

[1] Operated by NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and with Pascagoula, Mississippi, as her home port, Pisces collects, monitors, and studies data on a wide range of sea life and ocean conditions, primarily in the waters of the United States exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean as far north as North Carolina.

The ship collects data that scientists use to study variations in ocean conditions and sea life – including shrimp and other marine invertebrates, reef fish, and groundfish[3] – to better understand the sustainability of fisheries, the structure and function of ecosystems, fish habitats and habitat restoration, coral reefs, and the status of protected species.

She also makes weather and sea state observations, reports on other environmental conditions, conducts habitat assessments, and surveys marine mammal and seabird populations.