The boat crew conducted benthic video surveys along the Bullock Reach, Edgewood, and Sabin transects on September 1, 2022. Scale lasers were used in the footage, separated by 29 cm. Visibility through the water column was poor this week at all transects making fine observations difficult. The bottom of all sites was characterized by sands and muds. Sabin hosted dense patches of shell hash and rubble, as well as occasional boulders and cobbles. Bullock Reach and Edgewood both had sporadic patches of shell hash and rubble (more so at Edgewood). Algal coverage was limited this week. Sabin featured large mats of branching red algae (dominant, Ulva, and red sheet-like algae. General biotic activity was high at all sites as noted by extensive tracks and trails. Rare benthic video sights included many small schools of juvenile black sea bass (all sites), mantis shrimp Squilla (Bullock Reach and Edgewood), and flat fish (Edgewood). Infaunal activity was moderate; large burrows, likely from Squilla, and many small burrows were present. Common observations were spider crabs (Bullock Reach), boring sponges (all sites), hermit crabs (Sabin), and large colonies of mermaid’s glove sponges (photo below) and red bearded sponges (Sabin). Amphipod tube mats were not observed.
Please note: this blog publication has been post-dated to retain chronological order as a backlog of video footage is reviewed.
