Speckled Seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (juv.)Seems like forever ago when this site last saw some action related to the briny deep...and while I can't promise deep, I can promise briny (but for deep, check out the blog from the MAR-ECO cruise to the mid-Atlantic Ridge--some whacky stuff they are finding!). After straining my memorization skills and trying to master the art of prophesying exam questions over the last several months, I have finally been freed up to do what it is I was born to do: play in the water! Despite being surrounded by painful jellyfish (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) and pinch-like-hell blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), I've been having a grand old time splashing around. And besides, if the crab is going to pinch me, I'm going to eat its brethren...only fair, eh?
Typically, this time of year, I have been up to my eyeballs in pollinating reed canary grass, surveying some mighty fine marshes (or at least they used to be, anyway) and wishing the sneezing and eye itching would stop. The rare instance would arise when I'd get to squeeze some fish, and it would be even rarer if they were of the salty type. So, wasn't I just in my glory when I got to pull up some trawls today and find a treasure-trove of sea critters awaiting my inspection! Trawling is kind of like Christmas morning--when the net comes in, it's full of surprises. Of course, this is less so on massive surveys where seeing one more arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) or pacific ocean perch (Sebastes alutus) might cause you to jump overboard (the salty dude can attest to this, as he's spent 3+ weeks trying to keep himself in the boat). But my trawl was a simple little device that worked well without being overwhelming. In addition, when you are new to a system, everything seems cool...well, okay, maybe not the spot (Leiostomus xanthurus).
Lined Seahorse, Hippocampus erectus
Of course, some things are truly remarkable and I have to put the Syngnathids up there. These fishes include seahorses and pipefish. Of course, I had seen seahorses in aquaria many times before, but despite considerable effort looking in tropical seagrass beds on every vacation opportunity, I had, until recently, failed to find one live and in its own environment. My recent role as helper scientist had me donning the mask and snorkel and as I meandered about I saw a seahorse and lots of his relatives, pipefish! And it seems they come up in trawls relatively frequently, if not in great abundance, so I was thrilled when we pulled a few in today and I got to take some photos! Fun! Their prehensile tail is pretty cool and I could see it being quite a useful adaptation when trying to cling to eelgrass blades.
The other surprise catch was what I thought was Chesapeake Bay's version of the spiny lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus orbis), the cutest fish of all time. But lo and behold, the lumpsucker is a cyclopterid (lumpfish, in the same group as lionfish, Pacific rockfish, and cottids: Scorpaeniformes). Our catch was identified as a spiny boxfish (or striped burrfish Chilomyclerus schoepfi), a Tetradontiform (pufferfish and triggerfish are also in this group). Whatever name you call him, he came out of the net all puffed up and we had to try awfully hard to get him to deflate to his normal size and bouyancy before letting him go. I do think my first photo, when he inadvertently rolled over, looks like something from Star Wars:
Upon righting him, his fins became apparent and he proved to be just another incarnation of the Actinopterygii.
The other surprise catch was what I thought was Chesapeake Bay's version of the spiny lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus orbis), the cutest fish of all time. But lo and behold, the lumpsucker is a cyclopterid (lumpfish, in the same group as lionfish, Pacific rockfish, and cottids: Scorpaeniformes). Our catch was identified as a spiny boxfish (or striped burrfish Chilomyclerus schoepfi), a Tetradontiform (pufferfish and triggerfish are also in this group). Whatever name you call him, he came out of the net all puffed up and we had to try awfully hard to get him to deflate to his normal size and bouyancy before letting him go. I do think my first photo, when he inadvertently rolled over, looks like something from Star Wars:
Upon righting him, his fins became apparent and he proved to be just another incarnation of the Actinopterygii.
