Ben Higgins

Ben Higgins

Mar 20, 2015

Group 6 Copy 75
1

Searching for moray homes

Having a hardworking team of dedicated researchers makes field research not only effective but very rewarding. Our names are Jacob Harrison and Shohei Burns and we worked for Rita and Ben as a team of scientific divers in Catalina during the summer of 2014. We were responsible for the scientific SCUBA diving - specifically the underwater census.

Every afternoon, eighteen moray traps were cast out in pre-determined areas –essentially three different coves. Our job as scientific divers was to dive alongside these traps and survey the environment where these traps had been placed. As a team, we would conduct transects to collect data on both the depth and habitat of the surrounding trap area. With this data, Ben and Rita could correlate the amount of morays captured to the kind of environment the trap was placed, which would allow us to determine areas where morays preferred to call home.

Working in an aquatic environment is fraught with both excitement and danger. As a SCUBA diving team, it is important to have a trustworthy, capable, and hard-working buddy alongside you at all times. My previous diving experience with Shohei was evidence that our ability to conduct underwater scientific research was exceptional. Our time on Catalina allowed Shohei and I to become close friends and colleagues.

Though we took our work seriously, we made sure to enjoy ourselves after a long day of hard work. Most nights were spent playing ping-pong on the marine campus. Though Shohei won most games, I have been practicing (on the sly) and plan to crush him this summer.

Lastly, this fieldwork was an incredible experience. As undergraduates working out in the field alongside professors and graduate students is amazing. It is rare for undergraduates to be able to take part in such a wonderful research opportunity and we extend our gratitude to the whole team and their supporters. We look forward to this upcoming summer and we thank you for supporting us! -JH & SB

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  • brian burns
    brian burnsBacker
    Shohei, I didn't know you could play ping pong! Dad
    Apr 05, 2015

About This Project

Aside from their beauty, California kelp forests provide a host of both ecological and economical benefits. Several commercial and recreational species call kelp forests their home, such as lobster, calico bass, abalone, among others. Furthermore, the very presence of kelp forests along the coast provides some relief from beach erosion due to storm surges. While kelp forests and the aforementioned ecosystem services are relatively well-studied, we know little about the California moray, a resident predator that occupies the rocky reefs within this ecosystem. The California moray, the only moray found off the golden state, is elusive and our goal is to uncover its feeding ecology and basic biology providing critical baseline data.

Blast off!

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