Buzz's Marine Life of Puget Sound: 2014

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

GROOVED CLAM SHELL MYSTERY

Back in May I posted on the grooved clam shell mystery. We have been asking around the marine biology community for ideas on what might be causing this and have come up with one hypothesis that seems reasonable to lots of folks.....but beware we have no smoking gun.

Hypothesis:

The clam shells are being grooved by moon snails.
Moon snails normally drill very specifically located holes in clam shells during feeding with the radula organ.
The grooves are in the same size area as the normally drilled holes.
Moon snails feed on clams that are sometimes "contaminated" with PSP toxin.
Moon snails bio-accumulate the toxin in their bodies.
The toxin may be affecting the moon snails nervous system causing the snails to loose the ability to drill holes in the proper location and causing the random grooves in the shells.
Many thanks for Betsy Peabody, Brady Blake and Camille Speck and Robert Paine, Alan Kohn and a host of others for ruminating on this and providing valuable input.
In an interesting connection with this hypothesis there is a quote in the book "Teachings of the Tides" from a 93 year of Manhousat tribal member (west side of Vancouver Is.). He states that the Manhousat people (who ate most things found in the intertidal) would not eat moon snails because they believed that if you did you would become "stupid". This may have basis in fact since the accumulated PSP toxin in the snails could affect the nervous system of humans if consumed....making them "stupid".
This is a fascinating little book about what the Manhousat people collected, how they collected and prepared items from the intertidal for food. You can get it at Amazon (used for about $20 - or buy a new copy for $2,432 plus shipping - you would think they could at least offered free shipping).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Monday, December 1, 2014

10 YEAR REPORT ON SOUTHERN RESIDENT COMMUNITY KILLER WHALES

NOAA has published a report on the study of Southern Resident Killer Whales that has take place over the past 10 years. Lots of new finding here....What they eat, who they mate with, how boat interactions affect them....etc. Download the entire report here:

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/news/features/killer_whale_report/

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

BUZZ

SEASTAR WASTING AND A VIRUS

CHECK LINK FOR UP TO DAY INFO ON THE VIRUS AND SEA STAR WASTING:
“Densovirus associated with sea-star wasting disease and mass mortality”
http://www.eeb.ucsc.edu/pacificrockyintertidal/data-products/sea-star-wasting/updates.html

This story is not over by a long shot but major progress has be made in connecting a densovirus with sea star wasting syndrome. Many questions reamain: Why was this outbreak so devastating?
Was sea temperature a factor in the spread of the disease? Will juvenile sea stars survive to replace the lost population? What other factors may have been involved in the disease? Since this virus has been around for decades why did it now become so wide spread and devastating to so many species at the same time? Was overpopulation of sea stars a factor in the spread of the disease? With some reports of diseased sea urchins and sea cucumbers it remains open as to whether the same densovirus is implicated in these instances.
Stay tuned......this is going to be news for a long time...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

BUZZ

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

THE BEARTOOTH - ANOTHER WATERSHED

With the lack of good low tides in the Autumn it was time to do another road trip. I'd been wanting to do the Beartooth Highway for many years but something always derailed that trip....but not this time.
The Beartooth Highway runs 66 miles from Red Lodge to Cooke City Montana just to the northeast of Yellowstone National Park. We tried to time the 10,974 foot Beartooth Pass to good weather as a cold front with snow was headed south from Canada. Our timing was good and we crossed the Beartooth one day before it was closed due to snowfall. The Beartooth Highway has a reputation of being one of if the the most spectacular highways in the United States. I agree with that.
After the Beartooth we chose a route back home that included a number of stops at hot springs in Idaho. In addition we visited Yellowstone, Grand Teton, John Day Fossil National Monument and friends on Mosier OR.

Yellowstone Falls

Gretchen - Yellowstone

Yellowstone

Beartooth

The Beartooth

Beartooth

Beartooth Highway

Mt. Sheep

Sawtooth Range

Yellowstone River

Yellowstone burn area

Sawtooth Range

Beartooth Highway

Gretchen - hot spring

Beartooth Pass

Marmot

Turtle crossing

Stanley hot spring

Gretchen hot spring

Another hot spring

Pronghorns

Turtle relocation project

Antelope OR

Beartooth Highway

Yellowstone Bison

John Day Fossil National Monument

John Day

Gretchen John Day

John Day River

John Day

Painted Hills John Day

Gretchen Painted Hills

Thirsty travlers

AUTUMN AND SEA PUPS....AND ADULTS

Autumn sees the end of the good low tides in Seattle....September and October have few minus tides so beach exploration slows down.....weather can be a factor also.
Harbor Seal pups have been weaned by October and are attempting to adjust to being on their own for the first time. The mothers have provided rich milk for 4 to 6 weeks and the pups may have doubled their birth weight of about 23 lbs.....but this weight gain is now becoming a weight loss.
The pups do not start eating solid food for 10-14 days after weaning....and then do not reach a positive energy balance for another 2 weeks....that's a month of losing the baby fat they put on while nursing. We don't see fat pups now....we see ones that are slimmer than they were at the end of nursing. This is a very stressful time for the pups and 50% of them will not survive the first year.
Seal Sitters are busy checking the beaches for pups, setting up barriers and providing volunteers to monitor the resting pups. It has been a busy Autumn so far with as many as 5 pups on West Seattle beaches at one time. In addition a female adult seal took up residence on the floating dock at the boat ramp. A very poor choice of resting locations. After 5 days an attempt was made by WDFW to remove the seal to a different location but capture attempt was not successful....indicating that the seal was healthy...and quick. Since the capture attempt the seal "Jellybean" has not returned to the dock.