ocean creatures 2011, 2010 and 2009

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Ocean Creatures - by Carol Georgi

2011, 2010, and 2009 Columns

July, 2011 Ocean Creatures

The California Central Coast kelp forest is one of the most diverse places in the world and one of the least explored. Terry Lilley and Sue Sloan explore the undersea world of the kelp forests off California's Central Coast, filming a world of surprising beauty, color and diversity. Diving over 1000 times from kayaks, Lilley (marine biologist and former pro-surfer) and his assistant Sloan introduce us to the rich marine life of the kelp ecosystem. Watching this film, we easily see why these ecosystems, rarely found in Southern California, need to be protected by a national marine sanctuary.

June, 2011 Ocean Creatures

March, 2011 Ocean Creatures

A truly miraculous fish, salmon are an important source of spiritual and physical sustenance for Northwest Native American Indian tribes, Canada's First Nations, as well as many other residents of the Northwest. Popular as a valued seafood, salmon and their habitats must be sustained and, in many cases, restored.

January, 2011 Ocean Creatures

Sea otters are indicators of the health of California's nearshore ocean ecosystem. Sea otters eat, sleep, mate, and are born and raised in the water. Bundled in dense fur, they live in the nearshore ocean or estuary during their 10-20 years of life. As such, they are exposed to many of the same diseases and toxins as humans. Therefore, their health is an indicator of how clean the water is while we surf, swim, dive, kayak, and enjoy eating local seafood.

December, 2010 Ocean Creatures

The arrow goby is a small bottom-dwelling fish common year-round to the tidelands in the Morro Bay National Estuary, as well as other estuaries, lagoons and tidal sloughs. Swimming in shallow water and then borrowing into mud and sand when the tide retreats, this little 2-inch fish is important food for several types of fish like rock fish, sculpin and greenling. Some birds that eat arrow gobies include terns, knigfishers, and great herons.

November, 2010 Ocean Creatures

Rockfish, also known as rock cod or Pacific red snapper, are popular with seafood lovers. One of the longest-living fishes, possibly living to 200 years old, some rockfishes don’t breed until they’re 20 years old, and they have few young—these factors make them very vulnerable to overfishing. "Commercial and recreational rockfish fishing from the 1960s to the 1990s sent several rockfish populations plummeting. In fact, some populations have declined by 98% since 1970 due to overfishing and habitat loss, and few adult fishes are left in some areas off Southern California."

August, 2010 Ocean Creatures

Seven endangered species of whale, the gray whale, the humpback whale, the blue whale, the fin whale, the right whale, the sei whale, and the sperm whale may be found in the California central coast area. The entire population of gray whales in the eastern Pacific migrates through the area twice each year, as does half the northern Pacific population of humpback whales. This summer, due to the abundance of krill, many whales can be seen in the Monterey Bay.

July, 2010 Ocean Creatures

An Abalone is a snail, an invertebrate, with a big muscular foot, covered for protection by a beautiful spiral shell 5-12 inches (13-30 cm) in size . The shell has several holes along the edge that function for releasing eggs or sperm, discharging metabolic wastes and allowing water to flow out after passing through the animal’s gill chamber. Rarely moving, and clinging to rocks, abalone eat seaweed by clamping down on the kelp with its foot and then munching on the seaweed with its radula—a rough tongue with many small teeth.

June, 2010 Ocean Creatures

We almost lost the brown pelican. According to Pelican Life.org pelicans were threatened by the use of DDT as a pesticide before the 1970's. This pesticide greatly affected the calcium metabolism of pelicans, causing their eggshells to become thinner and more fragile. Their population decreased so dramatically that in 1970, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the brown pelican as endangered. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT in the United States and the pelicans began to recover.

May, 2010 Ocean Creatures

The Western Gulls have a small population along the west coast of North America, and they are often seen as common local birds living in coastal waters on the Pacific coast from British Columbia to Baja. These gulls have spectacular white plumage with a dark slate-gray mantle and grow to about 24-35 inches (61-70 cm). These gulls are commonly seen on wharves, jetties and docks.

April, 2010 Ocean Creatures

Growing up to 10 feet long (3 m), the Sevengill shark has a wide head with a blunt nose and only one dorsal (top) fin (most sharks have two), and seven pairs of gill slits (most sharks have five). Its back and sides are reddish brown to silvery gray, or olive-brown and speckled with many small black spots, and its underbelly is cream colored.

March, 2010 Ocean Creatures

Lingcod fish are unique to the west coast of North America, dwelling on rocky reefs and ocean bottoms in depths between 30 and 300 feet. Young lingcod prefer sandy or muddy bottoms in bays and inshore areas. These fish grow to five feet long and weigh up to 70 lbs, with females larger than males.. They have a large mouth with eighteen sharp teeth and mainly eat octopus, crabs and other fish. Their meat and skin can change colors, and can be black, dark brown, blue, green, or orange, yet the meat turns white when cooked. Some think the color change is due to the ink that gets released into their system when they eat octopus.

February, 2010 Ocean Creatures

Living on rocks in tide pools and crevices from Alaska to Baja California in the intertidal zone to about 60 feet, these elegant flowerlike animals, have a tube-shaped body crowned with tentacles, and are about 2-4 inches in diameter.

January, 2010 Ocean Creatures

California sea otters eat, sleep, mate and are born and raised in the water. Bundled in dense fur, they live in the nearshore ocean or estuary during their 10-20 years of life. As such, they are exposed to many of the same diseases and toxins as humans. Therefore, their health is an indicator of how clean the water is while we surf, swim, and enjoy eating local seafood. Everyday chemicals like car oil and pesticides, as well as bacteria from cat feces are being found in otter tissue. The contaminants make their way into the otter diet through shellfish, which are filter feeders that soak up chemicals in the water.

December, 2009 Ocean Creatures

Critters from our San Luis Obispo County coastal waters for you to enjoy!

These animals are a sampling of creatures who live right here in our water. Some may make you want to take up diving just to get a live look - others may scare you from the water. Either way, the ocean needs to be protected and they are just a few of the reasons why.

November, 2009 Ocean Creatures

The photo is of a Sarcastic Fringehead Fish living in an old pipe under a pier in Morro Bay. It is about 10 inches long, and is agressive and will charge anything coming near its burrow. The growths on its head are called cirri and they mimic the algae growth on the pipe. This fish eats small invertebrates and bolts out of its hiding place to catch them. After feeding it will back up into its pipe home again. Interestingly, their mouths are about half as wide as their bodies are long. he sarcastic part of their common name is attributed to their temperament and the fringehead to the distinctive appendages over their eyes.