Lobster Trap Mystery and Recent Images.

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Merry

Contributor
Messages
335
Reaction score
864
Location
Torrance, California
# of dives
1000 - 2499
Last week we made a dive on the crane at Haggarty's. Lobsters filled every available hole and blocked our view of the resident moray eels.

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I hope someone can shed some light on this mystery: At Little Reef (near Point Vicente), I found three abandoned? lobster traps about 20 feet apart.
They're almost completely filled with large bricks. Marine growth indicates that they've been there quite awhile.
Although they provide a nice hiding place for juvenile fish, we can't figure out why someone would go to all this trouble.

Lobster%20trap%20DSC_1743_zpstvqzs3zk.jpg




Images from recent dives on Merry's Reef, Little Reef, and the crane.
Pacific barracuda surrounded us at the crane on Thurs. Milton Love said that warm temperatures bring them up here in droves.
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Garibaldi embryos
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Two-spot octopus
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Urticina mcpeaki
anemone%20Urticina%20mcpeaki%20DSC_2761_zpsznawqs3r.jpg




ID needed
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Proliferating anemone, Epiactis prolifera
proliferating%20anemone%20DSC_2804_zpsp4hf0mll.jpg




Yellowfin fringehead
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Yellowfin%20fringehead%20DSC_1832_zpsph7jcgrm.jpg




Doto form A
Doto%20form%20A%20DSC_1641_zpsuwczsvzt.jpg




Kelp holdfasts contain myriad treasures, such as this one.
Mating Doto nudibranchs are splendidly camouflaged against the pink-mouth hydroid, Ectopleura crocea.
These hydroid polyps appear to be reproductive females.
Dotos%20and%20Ectopleura%20crocea%20DSC_2033_zpsruxhckhj.jpg




Likely the egg mass of Triopha maculata nudibranch.
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Mating Felimare porterae; it's been a good year for this species.
Felimare%20porterae%20mating%20DSC_2787_zpsdlw74pzz.jpg




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A tiny Flabellina trilineata laying eggs.
Flabellina%20trilineata%20amp%20eggs%20DSC_2012_zpspruetlov.jpg




A richly colored Austraeolis stearnsi.
Austraeolis%20sternsi%20DSC_1654_zpse61q4he8.jpg




Ribbon worms, Tubulanus sexlineatus
Ribbon%20worms%20Tubulanus%20sexlineatus%20DSC_2075_zpsxmtx37ez.jpg




This seldom-seen worm is possibly Protula sp. Worm expert, Leslie Harris, said that she'd need a specimen to make a positive ID.
Protula%20worm%20DSC_2058_zpsxkbuxear.jpg




Found this little guy on the crane; orange is an unusual color for these worms.
orange%20worm%20DSC_2839_zpslp4eazri.jpg





Christmas%20tree%20worm%20DSC_1821_zpscinwffhf.jpg




A cool algae, Botryocladia pseudodichotoma
Botryocladia%20pseudodichotom%20cr%20DSC_1924_zps5byofeiu.jpg




The tunicate, Distaplia occidentalis
Blue%20Distaplia%20occidentalis%20DSC_1804_zpslzayurtu.jpg
 
Last edited:
Very cool pics. Thanks for sharing!
 
WOW! Great photos.
 
Excellent photography! Impressive! Thanks for sharing.
 
OMG Merry! Just off the map cool, feel like I'm @ Wrigley w/Lorraine in the lab hackin' into holdfasts... love the Austraeolis stearnsi too! Keep it up citizen scientist! (OK, Micro Professional!!) Mahalo!
 
Last edited:
Back on topic, "The Bug'ed Traps??? Who knows?? Maybe an artificial(cultured) reefing project?? We floated and dropped a couple of cement 'blocks" off OML for a mentor "Senior project" with PVHS kids, (Patrick was there)... Good fun learning "concretion", and Pos/Neg Ion interaction ;~) Be Safe Out There!
 

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