A Point Sur Adventure

Marine Ecology students on the Point Sur cruise sort and record organisms from the Monterey Bay.

The Marine Ecology class embarked on a seafaring adventure last Monday on the Moss Landing research vessel the Point Sur to observe the biota of the Monterey Bay. The class was joined by members from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, MBARI and even Professor Emeritus Greg Cailliet who arrived bright and early for a 7am departure time.

After braving choppy water and a bit of rain we began our day with a beam trawl, designed to sample creatures from the ocean floor at 600 meters depth. Unfortunately we were left empty handed when the net returned to the surface with a hole caused from large rocks lodged in the net.

Despite our first strikeout, our second mid-water trawl yielded a wide array of fish, crustaceans, jellyfish, and a plethora of other gelatinous creatures. Once on board the Point Sur, each animal was classified into separate glass dishes and recorded, giving the students a chance to practice their species identification and exercise their Latin nomenclature.

The highlight of the trawl (quite literally) was a group of fish called the Myctophids, or Lanternfish. These fish have light emitting cells called photophores that help camouflage them in the deep ocean waters in which they live. Lanternfish regulate the photophores on their flanks and underside to match the ambient light levels from the surface, rendering them nearly invisible from predators below.

Lanternfish emit light from cells called photophores that help camouflage them from predators.

The last tow of the day was called an otter trawl; but don’t worry, we didn’t catch any sea otters.  This net is name for the ‘otter’ boards positioned at the mouth of the net designed to keep it open as it travels thought the water. The animals are funneled to the back or ‘cod’ end of the net and are brought to the surface for the class to observe.  We saw several species of flatfish including the Sand Dab, Dover and English Sole, several dozen octopuses (or octopodes depending on your dictionary) and even a pacific electric ray.

After a long day of sunshine, high seas and amazing sea creatures the Marine Ecology students were excited with their discoveries, but also ready to be back on solid ground.

Ask a Shark Researcher

By Diane Wyse, Physical Oceanography Lab

In the spirit of sharing exciting new student research during Shark Week, we caught up with MLML and Pacific Shark Research Center graduate student Paul Clerkin.  During the spring semester of his first year at MLML he took a two-month cruise aboard a commercial fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean for his thesis research.   During that time, Paul collected sharks that came in as bycatch of the planned fishing activities – sharks that would otherwise have been thrown back overboard because they are not among the targeted species of commercial value.  Clerkin explains that the sharks that he collected were all DOA, that very few survive under the weight of fifty tons of fish.   As part of his bycatch-only collection practices, any sharks that were still alive when the fish and sharks were sorted were promptly sent back overboard to increase their chances of survival.  Below are highlights from our interview with Paul on his latest fieldwork expedition.

Paul identifying sharks from a haul in the factory of the ship.

How long was the cruise?

I spent two months at sea, and then five weeks at Mauritius.  During that time I processed and prepared samples to ship back to MLML. Overall I spent about 100 days out of the US. I remember because I had to get my visa renewed while I was there.

How many specimens did you bring back?

We brought in around 400 to the island, and around 350 made the trip back to MLML. It was just about a ton. On top of that I have hundreds of vertebrae and spines and around 800 tissue samples.

When you collected, was it usually a consistent number per day or catch, or did the numbers vary with time and location?

The catch amounts varied greatly, some mornings I’d wake up and have no sharks to work with, during which time I’d work on data processing, and other days I’d wake up and have 16+ hours of work sitting for me on the deck.  Using bottom roller gear brought in many more sharks.

What will you do with the specimens?  Are they all to be used on your thesis project, or are some saved for other projects?

The specimens will be used both for my thesis research and will be available for future research projects. We’re looking to get a lot of use out of the data. The list of possible projects and papers is pretty long.

Paul working on deck with a false catshark. Paul comments on the critter: “This species isn’t new but it is considered to be rare. I was extremely excited the first time we found one. As we caught more false catsharks over the trip I started to suspect these sharks are not as rare as previously thought. I think they just live in remote locations relatively unexplored by science. Although it is not a new species I gathered data and information on this shark that was previously unknown and will increase our understanding of this strange animal.”

Was this your longest cruise to date?

Yes, my longest cruise before this was out of AK for 90 days, but halfway through we came back to land for one day, then went back out again. After the first two weeks all the days blend together anyway.

Trawling for Booty in the Briny Sea

by Angela Szesciorka, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

Classes at Moss Landing Marine Labs involve a lot of field trips, and this semester is no exception. On November 7, 2011 the marine ecology students ventured seaward to explore the ocean benthos.

Photo by MLML/UNOLS

The students waited with anticipation, saying goodbye to the familiar Moss Landing Harbor as the 135-foot Point Sur pulled slowly out into the open ocean.

Pinned to the Bottom of the Sea

The long trawl net coming on board as it's supposed to. (photo: E. Loury)

Erin Loury

by Erin Loury, Ichthyology Lab

I’ll admit, the prospect of spending ten days at sea aboard a 60 foot fishing vessel to do a fish survey had me a bit nervous.  The conditions in sunny southern California are nothing to rival the Bering Sea storms that Nate Jones blogged about – but even so, there can be tense moments.  The day I have in mind was while we were trawling off the coast of San Diego.  The continental shelf is very wide in this area, and we were miles from shore on the continental slope. With nothing but water all around us, we were reeling in our long net when suddenly it wouldn’t budge any further.  We were stuck.

Our lead scientist and the fishing crew deliberated our choices.  We could cut the net, which would involve a considerable loss of money, and any further sampling would literally be cut short.  We’d have to return to port early, and our survey would be over.  Or they could try to salvage the net, although how to do so without any help in over a thousand feet of water was beyond me.  Unable to contribute any useful skills or advice to the situation, I curled up and took a nap.  The crew later said they were impressed that I seemed unperturbed by the whole situation.  But in reality, sleeping was my best way to avoid thinking of that fact that I was bobbing in a tiny boat effectively pinned to the bottom of the sea.

The tangled net limps back on board after being stuck to the bottom of the sea. (photo: E. Loury)

The crew’s strategy to free us from our deep-sea snare turned out to be straightforward: it involved letting out one side of the net, then reeling it in as they let the other side out.  This alternating dance of pull and release essentially rocked the net back and forth, attempting to shake it from the grip of whatever underwater ledge or rocky outcrop had us snagged.

After about three tense hours, it worked.  With a sigh of relief and a tinge of sadness, I welcomed our tattered net as it limped back to the surface, a messy tangle of floats and line.  Once it was aboard, the crew set about mending the tear.  I’m fascinated by the historic artistry involved in “sewing web,” as the mending of the net is called.  I have to say I was not a quick study in the skill, but my fellow scientist Melanie was an old hand at it.  Consider it just another a job hazard in the world of fishing.

Scientists and crew mend the torn net to get it back into service – all in a day's work! (photo: E. Loury)

 

 

Squat Lobster Caviar

photo: E. Loury

by Erin Loury, Ichthyology Lab

This bright white crustacean is a squat lobster pulled from the deep during a government fishing survey in southern California.  Squat lobsters aren’t actually lobsters at all (they’re more closely related to porcelain crabs and hermit crabs), and are much smaller than lobsters (note my finger in the photo below).  Their tucked-under abdomens and extended claws always make me imagine them doing some kind of yoga pose.  Flipping this one over indicated that it (or rather, she!) was closely guarding a clutch of bright red eggs.  Holding them close is probably a good idea – they look like they’d make a tasty snack for some predator swimming by!

Clearly this one is a female! (photo: E. Loury)

Flapjack Devilfish

photo: E. Loury

This octopus out of water is a strange sight, but it sheds a little light on the common name of the Flapjack Octopus, also known as the Flapjack Devilfish.  These squishy deep-dwelling creatures are the flattest species of octopuses.  You might not recognize her, but a related species of Flapjack Octopus was famously portrayed by the character Pearl in Finding Nemo. One of her tentacles might look a little shorter, but you can’t really tell if she twirls ‘em…

Caught in a deepwater fish survey off of southern California. (photo: E. Loury)

Two Left Feet from the Deep

photo: E. Loury

Anyone uncertain about the scope of the human footprint in the ocean just needs to do a deepsea trawl off the coast of southern California.   During a government fish survey, we pulled up everything from weather instruments, army helmets and canteens, to bottles, cans and boots.  The ocean is big, but it can only hide so much if we use it as a dumping ground.  Who knows,  though – maybe these would make good habitat for a shoe crab.  They’re not a matched set, but in a pinch…

Heave Ho! Haul That Trawl!

(photo: H. Hawk)

MLML graduate Heather Hawk uses her muscles and puts some oomph into bringing in the catch.  Just another day in class at Moss Landing Marine Labs.

Slime Star

photo: E. Loury

Don’t let that unassuming lumpy appearance fool you – like a pesky little brother, this cushion star (Pteraster tesselatus) is loaded with snot and can fire at will.   Any good scientist knows that mucous makes the world go round, and makes for a pretty effective defense.  If you mess with this critter, expect things to get messy…

photo: E. Loury

This star was collected during a government fish trawl survey near southern California.  Here’s a shot of the underside in case you need convincing that there is indeed a graceful sea star under all that slime.

photo: E. Loury

Whip it Good

photo: E. Loury

Don’t get too excited, cowboys – cracking this sea whip would harm the fragile animal.  That’s right, this is a photo of an animal – or many animals, actually.  Sea whips are a type of deep-sea coral, and the “whip” structure is composed of a bunch of tiny polyps, each with its own mouth and tiny tentacles.   These colonies live on the sea floor, and are sometimes collected during fish trawl surveys like this one was.  Couple them with ocean tumbleweeds and you’d have yourself a sure-fire ocean Western.

photo: E. Loury