April 20, 2009
Last year, we seined our beaches with a team co-led by Drs. Kurt Fresh and Russel Barsh. This year, Bruce Brown started his monthly seines in March (I don't have that data, sorry) and Dr. Barsh will join up in June.
Bruce's team ties the 12 x 120' net off at the beach, tows it out, leaving a bit of net on the beach, waits 4 minutes, then brings the other end of the net to shore. Creatures in the net are shaken to a pouch, then rolled into a container. Crabs and jellies are counted and discarded. The first 20 fish of each species is measured, and after that merely counted.
April 20, 2009, Cowlitz Bay 12:00
With Bruce Brown (field biologist, Skagit River System Cooperative), Brendan (Lopez fisherman), Kristin(?) (Tina's employee), Karen (computer lady from SRSC), Laurie and Julie (locals).
The weather was hazy in the morning, burning off to sunny in the afternoon. We forgot to measure water temperature and salinity.
All measurements are in millimeters. To give you an idea of sizes, the 315 mm Great Sculpin was just over a foot long, and the little 21 mm poacher was .83 inches long. "Spp." means the creature wasn't fine-tune identified.
2 Cabazons, 170 and 180 mm. |
1 Poacher spp, 21 mm. |
April 20, 2009 Severson Bay 12:42
At water surface: 8.7 degrees C, 26.3 ppm salinity.
1 Sand Lance, 98 mm.
1 Staghorn Sculpin, 138 mm.
48 baby sculpin spp, avg 14.6 mm, from 11 - 20 mm. (Lots of these were black with fat white stripes, could be baby great sculpins.)
1 Great Sculpin, 102 mm, which vomited up an adult sand lance.
54 English Soles, avg 40 mm, from 18 - 58mm.
A small jelly.
April 20, 2009, Zeo's Beach 13:25
At water surface: 11.3 degrees C, 26.1 ppm salinity.
At 1.5 meters down, 9.5 degrees C, 26.3 ppm salininty.
29 Chum Salmon, avg 52 mm, from 47 - 57 mm. They were starting to blue up and lose their parr marks.
2 Greenlings, 62 and 56 mm.
1 Penpoint Gunnel, 113 mm.
5 Sand Lances, avg 95 mm, from 90 - 108.
20 Sculpin, avg 18 mm, from 13 - 38 mm.
April 20, 2009, Mail Bay 14:29
At water surface, 10.5 degrees C, 26.2 ppm salinity
At 1.5 meters down, 10.2 degrees C, 26.2 ppm salinity.
11 small Dungeness Crabs and a Turkey Vulture (the latter hovering above, not found in net).
2077 Chum Salmon (see header bar for image), avg 52 mm, from 39 - 61 mm.
1 Starry Flounder, 107 mm.
1 Pipefish, 140 mm.
8 Sculpin spp. ("little snotty sculpins"), avg 18 mm, from 14 - 21 mm.
4 Staghorn Sculpin, avg 117 mm, from 106 - 142 mm.
36 English Soles, avg 39 mm, from 27 - 73 mm.
5 Sand Lances, avg 98.4, from 87 - 108 mm.