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Great White Spotted Chamber Day?
Rumor has it a diver returning to a boat during Chamber Day (May 2) spotted a great white shark. The reported sighting was at Indian Rock, west of the Isthmus on the frontside of Catalina Island. The 18-foot shark moved on, apparently uninterested in the divers.
Avalon Harbor U/W Cleanup Ring Returned to Owner
At the 2000 Avalon Underwater Cleanup, California Diving News publisher Dale Sheckler found a Texas A&M University men’s class ring in 10 feet of water off the Green Pleasure Pier. It was Dale’s desire to return the ring to its original owner, but identification was complicated by difficulty in reading the inscribed name on the inside of the ring. A partial name was submitted, along with the year on the ring, to an alumni association.
A few months passed and Dale was contacted by a Matthew Keer. Mr. Keer conveyed the story of how in 1999 he was visiting his sister and brother-in-law in Southern California. They made a trip to Avalon and after spending some time on a friend’s sail boat in the harbor they headed back to town on a dingy, tying up at the pier. It was late and his brother-in-law thought it would be funny to push Matt into the cold bay. He did not discover the ring was missing until the next morning.
The ring has now been returned to its grateful owner.
Coastal Commission Declared Unconstitutional
Founder of the Marine Forests Society, Rodolphe Steichenberger, wanted to put in an artificial marine habitat off Newport Beach but was stopped by the California Coastal Commission. He fought and won with a major ruling by the California Superior Court, giving the commission’s actions the stamp of “unconstitutional” and “tyrannic.”
It is unclear how the ruling would affect coastal developers and access that was held in check and controlled by the commission.
For more information on the Marine Forest Society see www.marinehabitat.org on the web.
More Problem Algae
By now, most have heard of the “killer seaweed,” Caulerpa taxafolia, a foreign aquarium plant that has appeared in two inshore bays but holds the potential of large scale habitat devastation by pushing out native species.
More bad news—there is another alien that has apparently arrived along our coastline. It is known as Undaria pinnatifida. Undaria pinnatifida is a golden brown kelp native to the Japan Sea. It has been introduced in Australia, New Zealand and Europe and has now spread to the California coastline. It has most recently been found in the Santa Barbara harbor. In Japan it is known as wakame and is extensively cultivated as a fresh and dried food plant. However, it has the potential to become a major pest in our coastal waters. Undaria grows to between 1m and 2m tall, and is found in sheltered harbor waters on rocks, breakwaters and marine debris from the low-tide mark to 15m. The golden-brown mature plant has a distinctive, spiraled (frilly), spore-producing structure at its base. It also has an obvious central stem to 10cm wide that extends for the length of the plant. The blade may be up to 1m wide and extends from the tip of the plant for 1/2-3/4 the length of the plant.
What harm can Undaria do? Undaria can colonize all hard bottom surfaces, and competes with and displaces local species. It also colonizes sea grass blades, ropes, ship hulls, and pier pylons, often overgrowing native species. Like other weeds, it thrives in disturbed habitats. Long-term effects on the marine environment are not known. If you discover this algae in your diving exploits, please contact Kathy Ann Miller at the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, email kam@wrigley.usc.edu.
Just as we go to press: Rumor has it the new Undaria algae has shown up at Catalina.
Abalone Limit May be Reduced
Under the proposed 2002 regulations abalone hunters may only be allowed to take two abalone a day and 30 a year. This proposal is currently favored by The Fish and Game commission. Other alternatives such as reducing the limit to three, and reducing the season by two months are also being considered. Evidence used to support this reduction is a 27 percent increase in abalone taken since the southern closure, the small number of baby abalone counted, and the decline of larger abalone in deep water.
Marine Protected Areas Proposed
At the last Nearshore Fishery Management Advisory Committee, California Department of Fish and Game, announced that they are submitting a plan to the Department of Fish and Game Commission that will propose 15 percent of the coastline be converted to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These would be “No-Take” areas, with a variety of definitions of No-Take, including no-take of Marine life, geological resources, “cultural” resources, and so on.
The areas will be determined by scientific evaluation on a species by species basis, so that spawning grounds, sheltered areas for juveniles, and specific habitat areas (as opposed to areas where the species are not present) will be priority areas for designation as MPAs. The MPAs will not be limited to the nearshore fishery and additional areas will be set aside for many of the species that are sought by commercial and recreational fishermen.
Juvenile White Abalone Found
Two juvenile white abalone have been found at Yellowbanks, Santa Cruz Island, pleasantly surprising scientists. White abalone have not been seen in this area since the early ’70s.
White abalone have always been rare but in recent years been brought to the brink of extinction. In an attempt to breed and restock, white abalone were gathered, but only a total of 15 white abalone were brought to captivity. Scientists are cautiously optimistic during this breeding season. Although abalone are broadcast spawners, they must be in close proximity to each other to be effective. It is hoped that in captivity breeding conditions can be enhanced.
White abalone are now completely protected. The National Marine Fishery Service plans to have the white abalone listed as an endangered species.
Channel Islands Populations Report
The Channel Islands National Park reports a large increase in populations of sea urchins and wavy turban snails. The same report documents a recovery in sea star populations at their monitoring sites. The trends are similar to the recovery after the 1982/83 El Niño. The growth of these populations may be related to the recovery of the kelp forests after the 1997/98 El Niño. More kelp—more food—more animals.
Other animals seeming to enjoy the healthy kelp include sea cucumbers. Ship Rock of Catalina Island seems to be overwhelmed with them!
Leopard Sharks at Marine Room
An excellent site to swim with leopard sharks is at the Marine Room dive site off La Jolla, San Diego County. More sharks, leopard and otherwise, have been also reported near buoy #1 off La Jolla Cove in the La Jolla Ecological Reserve.
Leopard sharks are sleek and dark with large spots and can reach up to six feet in length. These fascinating creatures have begun to move into shallow waters off San Diego. It is thought that they move into the shallow waters for the warmth during times of mating and gestation of young, which they bear live.
Lobsters in Monterey?
Divers around Monastery Beach and Point Lobos have been reporting many, legal-sized lobsters in Monterey. Narced? Nope, they have photos to prove it.
Catalina Conservancy Receives Environmental Award at CMA Gala
Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s annual black-tie “Grand Grunion Gala” took place May 12. The Gala was a silent auction and elegant sit-down dinner benefiting the aquarium’s educational programs. The aquarium relies on proceeds from the Gala to help support marine education programs, which were recognized at the International Aquarium Congress held in Japan as “among the best in the world.”
John M. Olguin Marine Environment Award was presented to the Catalina Conservancy at the Gala. Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium created the John M. Olguin Marine Environment Award to honor John M. Olguin, Director Emeritus of the Aquarium, and to perpetuate the spirit of his gifts to the community. John developed an interest in teaching children about the marine environment in the 1930s when he was the chief lifeguard at Cabrillo Beach. He became the Acting Director in 1949 and was the driving force behind the development and growth of what is now the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.
John Olguin was instrumental in the expansion into the current facility in 1981. His philosophy of involving people, along with his warmth and enthusiasm for all living things, permeates the Aquarium’s exhibits and programs. The John M. Olguin Marine Environment Award was established to perpetuate his ideals. It is presented to an individual or organization that has demonstrated a significant contribution in one or more of the following benchmarks of the life of John Olguin: Betterment of the marine/coastal environment, generation of interest in young people in marine science, enhancement in public science education, and development of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.
The award for 2001 was presented to the Catalina Island Conservancy by John M. Olguin at the Gala. The mission of the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy is to conserve the land it owns in perpetuity; to restore it to a natural state; to provide education and recreational uses of the land consistent with conservation; to foster and develop research to promote understanding of the resources of Catalina Island and Conservancy activities, and to promote an understanding of the underwater habitat surrounding the island.
Accepting the award for the Conservancy was Dr. Bob Given. Many representatives from the Conservancy were present as well, including a heavy representation from the Catalina Conservancy Divers (CCD), a large and very active support group of the Catalina Conservancy.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was California Diving News publisher Dale Sheckler, also a member of CCD and past director.
The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro, and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Most of its educational programs, however, are funded through fund raisers such as the Gala. For more information on the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, call (310) 548-7562 or visit their website at www.cabrilloaq.org. For more information on the Catalina Conservancy, visit http://catalinaconservancy.org on the web. For more information on the Catalina Conservancy Divers, visit www.ccd.org on the web.