Image (c) Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
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Answers to “So you think you know famous ocean explorers …”
Thanks to all that played along! Here are the answers to the Cousteau vs. Earle trivia I threw out there yesterday. Who said, “A lot of people attack the sea, I make love to it”? Cousteau Who founded Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER), now DOER Marine Operations, to design, operate, support and consult on […]
The Bluefish by Isaac McLellan
I hope you enjoy this poem about a very popular Atlantic coast recreational species, the bluefish. I have some fond childhood memories aboard my grandparents boat, Irish Eyes, learning many life lessons while seeking out bluefish. Issac McLellan (1806 – 1899) was a New England author and poet. Coincidentally, he was born in Portland, Maine […]
What are those yellow looking things that look like a floppy spinal cord?
The strand of half dollar sized pods is an egg case. Actually each pod has about twenty tiny animals in each pod. The tiny animal that will grow from this egg case is the knobbed whelk. This is basically a northeast version of a conch (pronounced conk). If you hold the tiny discs up to […]
What’s in a name? Game: “Fishy” Fourth of July Edition
Can you match the scientific name to each of the fish from this Independence Day-themed trio? Leave your answer as a comment. Even better … also, try to identify each one by their common name. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July, everyone!
The “Osprey”, they’re bone breakers alright
The Latin name for osprey, Pandion haliaetus, means “bone breaker” and explains quite well how the bird of prey gets his main source of food, fish. Ospreys plummet down from almost 30 stories above water and use their barbed talons to grab onto mullet, menhaden, or other fish found in estuaries. These barbs can be […]
Love Our Blue
In honor of National Wear Blue for Oceans Day this January 13, 2010 here is a little ditty to get you amped … Lyrics amended from the song “Love Me Do” written by the brilliant John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles. Love, love our blue. You know we love blue, We’ll always be […]
Christmas critter countdown: Jingle shells
Christmas critter countdown continues! Fishermen have been known to toss jingle shells over oyster beds in a process known as “shelling” to create a habitat for oysters can settle. Fishermen want to create habitat for oysters … not so much jingle shells because the raw meat of the jingle shell is sharply bitter to the […]
A naturalist’s must-see destination: San Francisco Bay
I thought it might be interesting to take some time each week over the next few months to get to know a particular body of water in different regions of the world. For today I am starting off with the San Francisco Bay. The San Francisco Bay is an extraordinary place that has undergone changes […]
Two eggs and a side of glasswort, please
While I was trolling the aisles of Whole Foods the other day, I stumbled upon a familiar salt marsh plant known as glasswort (Salicornia virginica). When I would lead early morning nature walks along the beaches in Florida this marsh herb was a plant I enjoyed finding! Here’s the interesting anecdote I’d share with my […]
Sand
Sand from islands or tropical sites have sand that is high in Calcium, since seashells are rich in Calcium and are broken down to form sand there. Inland lake, river, stream and pond sands are high in Silicon, since rocks are composed of various types of silicates which break down to form sand there. Most […]
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I think it weighs 21.4 pounds