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Catalina Island Leadership Program

Phoenix Country Day School

Kelp Forest Information Links

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries

The fish on the map are data points where we spotted fish, and the colorations correspond to the actual fish coloration and distribution. The purple is the Catalina shoreline at Emerald Bay. This map clearly shows how the schooling fish (anchovies) are over the sandy bottom, represented by the light borwn. The rest of the fish are in the kelp around Indian Rock over the rocky bottom, represented by the dark brown. See below for a pie chart showing the distribution of the fish around the kelp.

Introduction: The eighth grade students from Phoenix Country Day School went on a field trip from October 15th through 19th, 2007, to Catalina Island. Catalina is one of the Channel Islands off the coast of California. We went to Howland’s Landing and studied the kelp beds and marine life. After four snorkels and kayaking trips we had gathered a lot of data about the ocean in Catalina. Our research question pertains to the coloration and distribution of fish in Catalina. We wanted to determine the types of disguise used by fish and the correspondence between fish coloration and their environment. We also wanted to know where we saw the different types of fish in relation to their habitat. This paper will discuss our findings and answer these questions. It will delve into the world of fish coloration and hopefully give a better understanding of why fish look the way they look. In order to get good results it was important to have a clear understanding of the methods and materials we used.

Research: We used many methods to collect data in Catalina Island. We started gathering information before we left. Using books and sources of the Internet, we researched about the fish in Catalina Island and decided upon what methods we should use to get the data we required. On the trip we used our methods and obtained more data. We had methods that helped us get information.

Before we got to Catalina Island, we researched lots of interesting things. We acquired books and started to read about the different ways in which fish use their colors as an advantage. We discovered three distinctive ways; camouflage for protection, special colorations for confusion and disguise for predatorial reasons. We choose an example that fit into each category of coloration. One of the fish examined was the Garibaldi, which is a bright orange to warn other fish that they are territorial. Other fish, such as the opaleye, have a white dot on their back to confuse predators. The majority of fish use camouflage, such as the California Scorpion fish that can change the shape of its skin to blend into the bottom of the sea. We discovered a lot of information before we went to Catalina Island.
When we were at Catalina, we did not use a lot of materials but we still got a lot of data. We collected all of the information on the snorkels in Howland’s Landing and Emerald Bay. While snorkeling, one person carried a clipboard, waterproof paper and a pen to record what fish were in the water and how many there were. The other person took pictures with a waterproof camera. The pictures showed us fish that used their colors to help themselves and the fish count showed their names and how many there were. Both of us collected valuable data that did not require a lot of materials. We had reliable methods that enabled us to obtain lots of information.

After five days of research on Catalina, there is much that we have discovered about fish and their disguises. The first of these observations, which perhaps was most obvious, was the fact that most fish were some shade of brown, either pertaining to the kelp or to the sea floor. This finding proves our theory that most of the fish at Catalina use the type of disguise that we call camouflage for protection. This also shows that among fish, there is a major correspondence in their coloration to their habitat. We found that darker brown fish, like the kelp bass, were found among the dark kelp while the lighter fish, like the shovelnose guitarfish, were found on the sandy bottom. On our trip, we also discovered that fish can utilize more than one type of disguise. The opaleye, for example, is not only a brown-green color to blend in with the kelp, but it also has a white eyespot on its back to confuse predators into biting its back fin instead of its actual head. This fish uses both camouflage for protection and special colorations for confusion. Other fish that use this are anchovies, which travel in schools. Their color of silver-blue not only helps to blend in with the water, but the large schools use the color to help break up their outline and make predators think they are one big fish. The Garibaldi and the Sheephead use disguise for predatorial reasons – the third category of disguise. The Garibaldi’s bright orange and the Sheephead’s red are both signs to other fish that these are very predatorial fish and the area surrounding them has been claimed. Shovelnose Guitarfish use the camouflage to lie in wait and ambush their prey. During our five days we did not find any fish that used bright colors like black and yellow as warning signs of poison. From this information we can surmise that this is not a common use of camouflage in the area surrounding Catalina. These results answer our two main questions; what the different types of disguise used are, and what the correspondence is between fish coloration and their environment.

This is a chart showing the distribution of fish in the area around Indian Rock in Emerald Bay. This data excludes anchovies and senoritas. The colors in the chart correspond to the actual coloring of the fish. The pink "slices" represent fish that have a strange coloration.

Conclusion: After the trip and all of our observations, we have learned a lot. We now know how to use equipment and create effective methods of collecting data. We learned three different ways in which fish use their coloration to their advantage. We now understand that brown fish are usually around kelp and silver fish are generally in schools and open water. We know now that Garibaldi and Sheephead use their bright colors to warn other fish that they are territorial. We have learned a lot about fish and their coloration.
If we had the opportunity, we would go back to Catalina. We would take a GPS and mark out were certain fish are and their relationship to the environment and other fishes. We would see if there Garibaldis in close proximity to each other, a silver fish in the kelp, or a brown fish in the open sea. We also would focus upon one category of fish coloration and see how many fish utilize it in an area. If there were a low amount of kelp, we would try to find where the brown fish stay and ways in which they adapted without protection. Those are some of the studies we would conduct if we could go back to Catalina Island.