The Fish in Catalina
For one week we went to Catalina Island in Southern California. For one
week we studied the fish in Catalina. Meryl did the bat ray, Liz did
the
sheep head, Ale did the blue-banded goby and research about weather on
the land and in the ocean, and Kelly Lin did garibaldi.
Meryl studied the bat ray. The research that she did told her that
the bat ray can grow from four to five feet long with an eight foot
wingspan.
She found that they dig their faces into the sand and search for small
organisms and invertebrates to eat. Meryl also noticed that they have
a small barb on the tail to ward of predators and a small dorsal fin
at
the top. They are not seen with other fish or near the kelp bed which
is a good thing because all the kelp was gone because of el Nino. They
are found in sandy areas and leave large prints on the sandy floor. Meryl’s
research on the bat ray was a huge help in our project.
Liz studied the sheep head. She learned that the sheep head is a very
different fish. We did not see that many of them so we tried to figure
out why. Most of the kelp was gone due to the el nino so they had to
find
new homes. These fish tend to eat algae on the kelp. With the fish that
we did see we noticed that they have a very different coloration compared
to most of the other fish. They have large bodies and are all red. Toward
the dorsal fin and face they have a black stripe and the face is white.
These fish are different but still very beautiful compared to many other
fish. This information that Liz collected was very helpful in our research.
Ale studied the blue banded goby, but because she could not go in the
water it was hard for her to do the research. She did find out that the
coloration was red with blue stripes. They eat small organisms in the
ocean and they swim in small groups of three to ten. She also learned
a lot about the ocean in general. She learned about salinity, PH, and
water temperature. She also learned about clouds and weather in this
environment.
With this information, Ale learned a lot of detail about the kelp forest.
The information Ale found was a great help in our project.
Kelly did the garibaldi. It is the California state fish. She learned
that the garibaldi is a very fascinating creature. When they are
little
they are orange with blue spots but when they become adults they lose
these blue spots. They are very territorial and if anything gets
into
its territory, they will bite it or carry it away. They are not shy
and are very curious. Fisherman and divers say the garibaldis are
fearless.
They generally swim by themselves and they like to spend time in the
kelp beds. The Garibaldi can live in depths of up to 30 meters and
grow to
be 14 inches long. Kelly learned a lot about the garibaldi although
there were few to see. Her information was very helpful in our research.
While we were in Catalina, we did a lot of research we learned a lot
about fish and so much more. This trip was a very helpful experience
and we
learned that all creatures, even humans, have to adapt or leave when
their environment changes. If there was one thing we all noticed
when we were
in Catalina, it was that because the kelp forest was gone, there were
fewer fish and theses few had to adapt to their new surroundings.
All
of our information helped us learn more about the ocean and how animals
live. Thank you so much for taking us, Ms. Youngman. We had a great
time!