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10/17/05 - First sub dive |
We are in the gorgeous blue Gulf Stream! The night watch worked through
the evening, putting Neuston nets in about every 15 minutes. They caught
several leptocephali (larval eels). Eels have one of the most unusual larvae
of any fish They are thin and clear—like skinny see-through fettuccini—
with eyes, a mouth, and a visible intestinal track. Some of these larvae travel
great distances to return to freshwater where they mature. They are quite
difficult to identify. Some species spend a long time, from several months
to years, before maturing. We don't know how they feed.
Steve Ross was in the bow of the sub and Martha Nizinski in the stern for Monday morning's dive. They encountered a fairly stiff current which made traveling along the bottom fairly difficult. They returned to the surface with some coral samples and a few crabs and urchins. While the sub battery charged we deployed the Neuston net several times and caught a small Portugeuse Man-of-War, some crabs, and a few small fish.
During the afternoon dive, Martha Nizinski was in the bow and Cheryl Morrison in the stern. They collected several coral samples including a peach colored
Madrepora (a type of stony coral). They also brought back an orange Chaunax fish
which has a bright blue spot on its forehead.
The night shift is busy deploying the Neuston net and looking forward to a productive evening.
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