Thursday, April 9, 2009

Mini Aquarium Update

The water is a balmy 8 degrees Celsius in the Ucluelet Aquarium and love is in the air, I mean the water.

On April 1st, there was a herring spawn at Little Beach and Phil (Director and Founder) managed to collect some spawn on kelp. We've been watching the embryos develop under the video microscope!

Also, something?! spawned from a crack in the rocks in the Sunflower sea star habitat. We collected some and watched the cell division under the microscope!

Some local fishermen brought in a Brown Box crab that breathes through holes in its claws and a Threadfin Sculpin! (image from http://www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/shellfish/crab/Crab_ID.asp)

Some of our "junior biologists" (keener volunteer kids) collected a Red Octopus in the traps I lent them off the dock in front of the Aquarium. Now the kids want to raise money and sponsor the exhibit that its in! Go future staffers!

-
Dave Hurwitz, Aquarium Curator

For more great insider information, check out the Newsletters on the Publications page of uclueletaquarium.org or meet Dave himself and visit the Ucluelet Aquarium, open 10am-5pm daily!

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