Ready to learn about seagrass and fishies!!!
On Thursday September 17th we went to Fred Howard Park to explore the aquatic life and learn more about seagrass. It was a cooler day because it was VERY overcast. The temperature was about 81° and we were worried about getting rained out that day, which explained the not so ideal weather.
The water did NOT feel like bath water today but instead a high 70's low 80's which was refreshing.
When we entered the water we learned about the 3 different kinds of seagrass that were found in those waters. They were turtle grass, manatee grass, and shoal grass. I also noticed pink and green spots on the bottom of the ocean floor and learned that they were different kinds of bacteria.
There was a lot of sea foam on the shore also. Did you know sea foam is actually just fat??!! Yes, you are stepping on the fat of organisms...The first tool that we used was called a seine net to collect different things! How to use it is to stretch out the net, and then one person will stand still while the other person (Clarke),walks (struggles) around in a big circle to meet the person at the other side of the net.
It then forms a circle of captured organisms for us to analyze! We discovered a few small fishes that we thought to be pinfish. We also caught a little fiddler crab and a TON of seagrass.
After we measured the pH (6) and salinity (35) of the water it was time to get down to business. SNORKELING! Oh were we excited.
While snorkeling we got to discover so many different things, it was awesome! We found clams, mollusks, a horseshoe crab, a stingray, even a pufferfish!!! Of corse there were many different kinds of fish and it was really cool to hover over top of them and observe them as I watched them nibble on the seagrass. This was by far the best field trip yet.
Oh and Clarke found a fishing pole in the seagrass!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment