One woman, one horse, and one dog: A 450-mile adventure!

by Angela Szesciorka, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

Warning, this is about horses — terrestrial mammals, yes. But as you may know, cetaceans did come from an ungulate lineage. So settle down kids.

I wanted to tell you all a little bit about my sister’s upcoming epic journey.

On May 25, my sister, Samantha, will embark on a 28-day journey across Nevada on horseback.

Why you ask?

Because no one ever has!

This will be the first solo equestrian ride along the Nevada portion of the American Discovery Trail, the coast-to-coast trail across the United Stated from Point Reyes National Seashore in California to the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware.

Chronicles of a Curious Beachcomber

by Angela Szesciorka, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

A few Sundays ago — Super Bowl Sunday, in fact — I took a three-hour walk along the beach at Fort Ord in Monterey, CA with Don Glasco, a systems engineer and former cartographer.

This wasn’t a leisurely pursuit, but my volunteer service to the Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network’s (SIMoN) Coastal Ocean Mammal and Bird Education and Research Surveys, also known as Beach COMBERS.

I meet Don at Fort Ord Dunes State Park in Marina around 9 a.m. After downing the last of my coffee, we head out into the foggy morning.

Don Glasco referring to the almighty bird book to identify an unknown species by its toes.

Volunteer Angling with CCFRP

Jeff with young-of-the-year Blue Rockfish. Photo courtesy of Starr Lab

By Jeff Christensen, CSU Stanislaus

In 2011, I had the opportunity to participate in a California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) fishing trip.  When I received a message from Andrea Launer, CCFRP Volunteer Coordinator, this spring about the summer data collection schedule, I knew I wanted to go out again and be part of this amazing project.

With one of my classes starting on the first day of sampling, I wasn’t able to make the Monday, August 6^th date but I was aboard F/V Caroline at Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf before sunrise on Tuesday with hot coffee in hand ready to do some angling.  After a safety briefing by Captain Shorty we headed out along the Monterey coastline as Cannery row began to stir in the light of the pre-dawn sky.  The sea was a bit rough and the wind waves made the trip out to the Point Lobos State Reserve a small adventure in and of itself.

Cheryl Barnes, CCFRP Field Coordinator and MLML graduate student, gave the anglers an amusing briefing about the specifics of the collection protocols of the catch and release program.   In order for this work to be helpful in determining if the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) are effective in propagating the species within these areas since their inception in 2007, a variety of anglers were assigned different lures and/ or bait similar to fishing techniques used on guided recreational fishing trips from the area.

By the time Captain Shorty announced over the loud speaker to drop our lines in the water of the first research cell of the day, the rolling waves were already taking its toll on our balance and stomachs. The port side “fish feeding station” was busy early on but as the fog receded, we all got our sea legs and the fishing improved.   The boat as a whole ended up catching and releasing a total of 176 fish from 14 different species, including a 84cm lingcod (Ophiodon elongates) caught by Chris L., fishing next to me.  We must have been in some big fish because not too long after Chris’s lingcod, I hooked another giant fish, I estimated at over 100 cm (due to how hard it was to pull up) but after a perilous fight, the “Big One” got away as it neared the surface.

MLML grad student Katherine Schmidt measures a Lingcod.  Photo courtesy of Starr Lab

While the anglers were pulling up their catch, the scientific staff was busy collecting the fish, measuring them, tagging some, and making sure they were returned to the bottom as soon as possible.  I was thoroughly impressed how each staff member tried to make sure every fish was returned to their home with human stories to tell of their own.  One sea lion, however, was happy to accept a free lingcod h’ordurve as it took a large bite out of an angler’s catch as it was reeled up.  That lingcod, too, was returned to the ocean making a meal for the fish, crab, and sea stars that would finish the work of the sea lion.  The seas were rough as we headed back in and even tossed a few of us out of our seats to the deck (Ouch!).

NOAA Budget Cuts: MLML Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Vanishing?

By Stephanie Hughes, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

If marine mammals are deemed the “canary in the coal mine” for our oceans, how can we predict threats to oceans and human health if funds that support long-term monitoring of these sentinels are eliminated?

The importance of monitoring the health of marine mammals goes beyond our “good Samaritan” duties of saving the cute and cuddly. Rescue and recovery attempts don’t always result in a happy ending, even though we hope for the best outcome. Regardless, our efforts are never in vain, for even failed attempts present us with the opportunity to discover clues for how the animal lived, so we may (hopefully) reveal how and why it died. Responding to diseased, injured, distressed, and even deceased marine mammals is our gateway to unveiling what these animals, and even humans, may be up against as environmental conditions are in flux.

The Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Network operates through the Vertebrate Ecology Laboratory (VEL) at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) and is a participant of the National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. The VEL-MLML stranding network has been in operation for over 20 years under the direction of Dr. Jim Harvey, professor and interim director of MLML. At its infancy, VEL-MLML stranding response, in collaboration with other stranding response organizations such as The Marine Mammal Center and Long Marine Laboratory, was conducted voluntarily.  Students, faculty, and members of the community would volunteer for rescuing, recovering, or collecting data on live and deceased stranded marine mammals. During the early years, equipment for stranding response was limited, thereby making the sample collection and storage to support long-term research difficult, though not impossible.  Volunteers often lacked proper transportation, sampling equipment, and protective gear, and many were without formal training on data or sample collection. Despite these shortcomings, dedicated volunteers would drag hundreds of pounds of dead, beached marine mammal heads, tails, flippers, etc. (yes, without latex gloves) through miles of sand dunes, then would strap their prized possession on top of their ’78 Toyota pick up, tails and flippers flapping in the wind on Highway 1 as they returned to the lab. During the early 1990s, the VEL-MLML stranding network had many willing, committed, and dedicated volunteers (still does). What it didn’t have were sufficient funds to support the infrastructure necessary for rapid, large scale, and long-term stranding response.

Investigating the Intertidal

by Diane Wyse, Physical Oceanography Lab

Students carefully investigate a tidepool at Asilomar State Beach.

In October, two fellow Moss Landing students and I sprang into action to lead fourth graders on a tidepooling field trip to Asilomar State Beach.  Students and chaperones from Ms. Alicia Doolittle’s fourth grade class at Bay View Academy in Monterey enthusiastically participated in the food web interactions lesson and activities prepared and taught by Sara Hutto, Nicole Bobco, and myself.

MLML graduate students (L to R) Nicole Bobco, Biological Oceanography Lab, Sara Hutto, Phycology Lab, and Diane Wyse, Physical Oceanography Lab

Though we each represent different labs at MLML, we all had a blast instructing and helping students identify organisms and their interactions in the intertidal environment.  We were impressed by the students’ knowledge of food webs, and even regaled with a song!  The field trip was also a treat for me, as I have not been tidepooling in California in many years, since visiting with family when I was about their age.  At the end of the day, it seemed everyone had a great time learning about and exploring the beautiful coastal ecosystems of the Pacific Ocean.

Sara teaching a student about intertidal food web interactions.

Our Backyard is Beautiful!

Discovering local ocean life is a large part of studying at Moss Landing

One of the best parts of Moss Landing Marine Labs is getting out into the field after learning in the classroom, and applying your knowledge outside.  We ask questions like, Why does this particular organism occur where it does?  You begin to notice that a particular type of algae loves waves or that banana slugs eat dead plant material like redwood bark.  Taking walks around the local state parks, such as Henry Cowell, can be an eye opening experience everyone can do.  Just be careful where you step, the UC Santa Cruz mascot is right at your toes!

Be careful where you step, the locals are cruising around frequently.

Scuba Talk Now, Pirate’s Radio (KNRY 1240) features MLML Student Amanda Kahn

Get to bed early tonight because Sunday morning at 8:00, MLML student Amanda Kahn will be interviewed on Scuba Talk Now, Pirate’s Radio!  The interview will air on KNRY AM 1240, and will feature questions about some of the things that Amanda has learned about for her research.  Come find out what it’s like doing deep-sea research, what is so great about  scientific diving, and learn a ton about the animals that Amanda studies: marine sponges!  Check out the posts below for some background info, then listen in and be ready to ask more questions!

Animal, celebrity, or cake?

Do sponges have the nerve to eat?

Scuba Talk Now (Station KNRY, AM 1240) will feature MLML student Amanda Kahn this Sunday at 8:00 AM.

2010 Open House Puppet Show: Dora the Sperm Whale Explorer’s Deep-Sea Adventure

Amanda Kahn

by Amanda Kahn, Invertebrate Zoology and Molecular Ecology Lab

In April, MLML opened its doors to the public and we spent the weekend showcasing our research and teaching people about marine science.  We did this in a variety of ways: lectures, seminars, interactive exhibits, touch tanks, science as art, and even in puppet form!  For those of you who missed the show, you can still learn about Dora the Sperm Whale’s exploration of the deep sea, discover different deep-sea habitats, and find out all about the many ways that animals eat!  Check out the two-part video below, and be sure to catch our hit songs “Chemoautotrophy” and “Vertical Migration”!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Got any questions about the animals or habitats you saw in the show?  Comment below or email and we’ll tell you all about them!

Credits

Puppeteering, stage design, sound setup, logistics:

Jeremiah Brower, Billy Cochran, Marilyn Cruickshank, May Deluna-Schneider, Amanda Kahn, Stephanie Kennedy, Deasy Lontoh, Erin Loury, Ben Perlman, Jasmine Ruvalcaba, Sonya Sankaran

Video editing by Wavelength Films

An Eighth-Grade Elkhorn Slough Expedition

8th grade students explore Elkhorn Slough with Moss Landing grad students and staff. (photo: T. Novak)

by Erin Loury

There’s no better classroom than out in the field.  This June, Mr. Lane’s 8th grade science class from the International School of Monterey got up close with oceanography, with the help of some MLML Physical Oceanography grad students and staff.  Having studied basic marine science and discussed human impacts on the ocean, including global warming and ocean acidification, the 8th graders had the chance to explore Moss Landing’s marine environment first hand.

The MLML crew steered the class on a boat tour of Elkhorn Slough that turned into a salty safari, with appearances by sea otters, jellies, rays, sea lions, and a variety of algae, invertebrates and birds.  The MLML team highlighted the potential impacts of agriculture on the local watershed.  They  also introduced the class to the LOBO network, which stands for Land Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory, and is designed to track chemical fluxes throughout the slough environment.

Ready to turn over the LOBO mooring (photo: M. Nakagawa)

The class tipped over LOBO mooring L01 in the main channel of the slough to get a good look at the sensor array (which monitors many properties of the water, including temperature, salinity, nitrate, oxygen, pH, and current velocity), as well as a whole bunch of organisms that decided to make the mooring their home!

The MLML team talked to the class about the work it takes to maintain this observatory network, such as periodically removing these fouling organisms from the sensors, as well as managing the continuous flow of real-time data from sensors.  Tanya Novak, a graduate student in the Physical Oceanography Lab, summed up the experience this way: “They were a very enthusiastic and intelligent group of 8th graders, excited to learn and get their hands dirty.  We had a blast!”

Check out these photos of their adventure and findings!

A group of intrepid explorers ready to hit the slough! (photo: T. Novak)

MLML grad student Melinda Nakagawa steers a whaler through Elkhorn sough. (photo: T. Novak)

More photos…

Hey teachers! Get a 6 ft. frozen squid in the mail!

Kids get squiddy at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (photo: A. Booth)

by Erin Loury, Ichthyology Lab

Unwrapping a jumbo-squid-sized mail delivery was but a dream for marine scientist hopefuls of yesteryear.  Now, thanks to our pals at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, your students can have that experience in your own classroom!

The Squid-4-kids program, run by graduate students out of the Monterey-based Hopkins Marine Station, can provide your students a one-of-a-kind learning experience to poke, prod, and dissect a giant of the deep.  The squid and lesson plans come free, you just pay for shipping.  All Humboldt squid are collected in conjunction with ongoing research or by sport fishermen who donate their excess catch.

For more information, check out  the Squids-4-Kids website, or click to down load the Squids4Kids Application.

And while you’re at it, check out the awesome squid research these Hopkins students are doing!  This great podcast and photo slideshow on searching for squid with the Hopkins crew was put together by Cassandra Brooks, an MLML alum working for the National Park Service.  And Hopkins student Danna Staaf is not just a squid researcher but also a squid blogger extraordinaire.  Give her a visit and get your dose of Squid-A-Day!