Shannon Point

  The organism in the top right of the picture to the left of this text is a Oregonia Gracilis and we found it when we were on the boat, it was staying pretty still for the most part just minding its own business. After doing a bit of research I found out that this crab can attach other aquatic organisms to its back as a defense mechanism for predators.

The organism in the bottom right of the picture above this text is a Sand Shrimp and we found it on the boat, these shrimp when you pick them up get very frantic and start jumping so I would try and put them back as soon as I could. Their ecological role is to serve as a food source which contributes to the balance of marine life.

The organism in the middle left of the picture above this text I believe was a kelp fish but I am not entirely sure. We also found this fish on the boat and it was swimming a bit inside where we put it ya know, just being a cool lil fish. Kelp fish according to some research are cleaner fish which I assume means they also help keep balance in marine life by perhaps keeping the water clean in some way. I would like to learn more.

The Crab in the picture to the left of this text is what I believe to be a shore crab (Hemigrapsus). This Crab was also found on the boat. It was moving around slowly using its cool claws. Crabs in a way remind me of fungi because Crabs eat dead things and seem like they are kind of recyclers of the aquatic life.

The most interesting thing I saw was the clear zoo plankton I saw in the lab, it is crazy to see how these organisms have evolved to be able to survive better by doing things like becoming near invisible.

My perspective has not changed from this trip regarding the coast of the pacific northwest because all that I have learned about the coast has been attributed to this class, I did not have much prior knowledge about the coast until I took this course. Ocean acidification is one thing I never thought about until we recently got into it and being on this trip made me get closer to the aquatic life and made me worry about those affected by the increasing acidity due to carbon pollution.

Are sharks found often in the Puget Sound or not?