Fred Howard Park!!

Snorkeling at Fred Howard Park

Date: September 18, 2014
Weather: About 85 degrees and 24% cloud coverage
Site Description: The area was managed


When the class first arrived at Fred Howard Park we headed over to the beach to observe different fish that we caught in the seine net. We used this method several times and each time we found different types of fish. An example of what we found the first time using the net was a little horseshoe crab and a bigger crab, these belong to the Phylum Arthropod group as a crustacean. The second time we found a sponge which belongs to the Phylum Porifera group, algae, and shrimp which is similar to the crab since it also belongs to the Phylum Arthropod group as a crustacean. The third round we found what I like to call a miniature sword fish but it is actually called a needle-fish and they swim at the speed of lighting, or something close to it. After using the seine net we began to snorkel. I saw two sponges and way too much seaweed. The seaweed that I saw most of was the turtle grass. It is flat and flimsy and can reach the surface of the water. I know this because I was swimming above the seaweed as high as I could go but still felt like it was being attacked! I also saw a few red mangroves. They don't look like seaweed because they're very round and don't bend and they float on water. They are propagules so it detaches itself from a plant and forms a new plant. The last type of seaweed I saw was manatee grass. Manatee grass was more friendly to me than the turtle grass because they're very short and there isn't an overwhelming amount! Fred Howard Park was a fun experience, but I still hate seaweed.

Turtle Grass                              
 

Red Mangroves
 

Manatee grass


(Pictures from Google)

Victoria Millman