The boat crew conducted a benthic video survey along the Edgewood transect on April 13th. Scale lasers were used in the footage, separated by 29 cm. Visibility through the water column was poor. The bottom was characterized by sands and muds, with a few boulders and cobbles observed sporadically. Algal coverage ranged from sparse to dense, composed of Ulva as well as other filamentous and branching algae; sparse to dense areas of diatom felt were also present. Rare benthic video sights included a whelk trap, mantis shrimp Squilla (photo below), a horseshoe crab, and two moon jellies swimming among a swarm of ctenophores. Infaunal activity was high; large burrows, likely from Squilla, and many small burrows and associated fecal mounds were present. Common observations include channeled whelks, parchment tubes, Nassariid mudsnails, hermit crabs, sponges, boring sponges, small fish, and shrimp. 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.
