Squid Collection
This December a large number
of Humboldt Squid washed
ashore in the Seaside area.
Aquarium staff counted more
than eighty squid on the Seaside
beach alone, ranging in length
from three to five feet. Humboldt
squid normally live below 600
feet and are more common in
Mexico/Southern California.
Specimens were collected and
frozen for a local high school
and for the Seattle Aquarium.
Staff in Seattle are interested in
the squid DNA and clues to
their appearances this far north in the past few years.
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One person’s debris is another’s treasure...
Winter beachcombing is a time-honored tradition.
Whereas most beachcombers look for floats or sand
dollars, Aquarium staff go looking for specimens and
food. Debris that others would pass by is often the
most exciting. Bull kelp that washes ashore is harvested
to feed sea urchins, wood with mussels or barnacles
attached is collected for display, and clumps of sea grass
and seaweed are searched for treasures. Small crabs,
barnacle clusters, skate egg cases, and other treasures
often become tangled in the grass as it rolls through the
ocean.
This collecting trip, we found some great decorator and
cancer crabs, which are now
on display in our tanks.
Aquarium staff and volunteer
beachcombers dig through debris
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Unusual treasure at the end of the rainbow
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