Serpulids and a Day Off

A map of the Slough. Copyright Monterey Bay Aquarium/GMacDonald.
see all photos »

No…I have not been eaten by a shark. In fact, all of the species we are encountering have proven to be quite harmless, though if given the opportunity, I am sure a leopard shark could take a nasty bite out of my leg. I just have been either too busy or too tired to enter a recent blog update. So – I will catch you up on the some goings-on from earlier in the week, and will bring everything else up to date tomorrow.

July 2, 2007: This morning we had a 5 a.m. wake-up call. That extra hour from yesterday made a big difference in terms of grogginess, but it was still pretty early. We drove to the truck yard to load up and get our gear in order, then headed to Kirby Park to unload our trucks into the boats.

Leon and Josh set the net across the Channel only to find themselves sinking waist deep in mud. Copyright PSRF/JanaS.
see all photos »

We headed north up the Slough again (see the photo to get a better idea of what I am referring to), though this time to the opposite side of the Channel and a bit further toward the road. The name of the site was “Coral Beach”, named for what was thought to be pods of coral. However, thanks to our resident biologist, Greg, we soon learned that the growths are more likely to be a form of serpulid (tube worm). They secrete a form of calcium that hardens to create a shell, and like coral, build and build upon one another to form a colony. This appears to be the only area in the Slough to house such a community.

Serpulids - a type of tube worm that grows in the north end of the Slough. Copyright PSRF/JanaS.
see all photos »

This was, so far, our slowest day, capturing only 1 batray, 3 shovelnose guitarfish and 1 thornback ray. However, as far as conditions go, it was, by far the best day – temperatures both in and out of the water were wonderful, and there was hardly any wind, which made it far more pleasant.

We had 4 other assistants join us for the day, so there were plenty of hands available to perform all necessary tasks. I, again, helped with tide and temperature readings every 10 minutes, checking the holding pens and basic monitoring.

In need of extra space to return to the docks, we load Andrea and Emily on the tow boat. Copyright PSRF/GMacDonald.
see all photos »

Since we had so many extra bodies on our trip for the day, we ran out of room in the Zodiaks. Rather than make two trips, like we did in the morning, we loaded two of our members onto the tow boat and pulled them in that way. It was quite amusing.

We got back to the house in the early afternoon, and I had some time to take a nap before heading out to dinner with some cousins that live in the area. We went to a fabulous vegetarian/organic restaurant in Capitola, called Dharma’s. If you are ever in the Santa Cruz area, I highly recommend it!

Bailey (left) and Charlie enjoy a day out together in Monterey.
see all photos »

July 3, 2007: This was our official day off – no playing in the mud today. I got to sleep in until about 8 a.m., then got ready to spend the day with my parents, who happened to be up in the area for their birthday vacation.

They picked me up a little after 10, and we then headed back into the Monterey area, where I got to take Bailey out of boarding for the day. He was very happy to see me, as I was to see him. My parents had their dog, Charlie, with them, as well, so it was a treat for everyone.

Seals taking in some sunshine in Monterey Bay.
see all photos »

We walked around Pacific Grove, where we also ate lunch, strolled around Cannery Row, watched seals basking on the rocks outside of the Monterey Aquarium and then had to return Bailey to boarding.I felt bad, as though I were "teasing" him that we were headed home by taking him out for the day. However, when I did take him back, he seemed very comfortable in the caretaker's arms, so that made me relax a bit. (Click on the "View more photos" link to see pics from the day.)

In the late afternoon, we returned to my parents’ hotel, where we all ended up taking brief naps, before eating at the hotel’s pet-friendly restaurant (Charlie, of course, got to join us). Following dinner, my parents drove me back to the house where I reunited with my volunteer-mates and shared our adventures for the day. Most of them visited the Aquarium and walked around Cannery Row.