Northwest Dive Club

Hi Greg,

Thank You!!! It seems like every other I.D. reference assumes that you're looking at a freshly dead fish in a lab. Doing this for the field observer is just terrific!

Appreciatively yours,
Alex

Hi Derek,

I've always called them Disk Diatoms. There are probably multiple species, but that's way beyond my pay grade.

Algally yours,
Alex

Hi Jan, Your photography is always terrific, but you've outdone yourself with that image of nudibranch eggs - incredible detail! Plus, I always enjoy seeing photos of things named for the wrong color; like the yellow "White Nudibranch" or a purple "Ochre Star" or a yellow/green &...

Greetings,

I just came across this article from April 12:
http://katu.com/news/local/the-invasion ... el-mystery
Something to look for in the coming months.

Luminously yours,
Alex

Hi Waynne, Scientific American seems to keep their newer articles behind a pay wall; the link to this article leads to a very short "preview": https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny-creatures-part-plant-and-part-animal-may-control-the-fate-of-the-planet/ Not so with at least some ...

Hi Jan,
Great images as always but I also want to thank you for digging up all that background information.
Appreciatively yours,
Alex

Hi Jan,

I'm looking forward to what you learn on this.
I'd also be interested in how the study itself came to be. Did you reach out to UBC about the disease or were they already working on it?

Contagiously yours,
Alex

Hi Tom,

Terrific observations and images!

I thought you might be interested in this article on the life history of Sea Pens:
http://ronshimek.com/blog/?p=293

Recruitably yours,
Alex

Hi Laura,

Thanks so much for this link - Fascinating information!

Hi Jan, Terrific photos as always: Thanks & keep up the good work! I don't know why but, no matter how many times I see it happening, I'm always surprised at how many things eat jellyfish. Rockweed trivia: I've been told that the slimy stuff found in the rockweed's floats is essentially the same...

Greetings,

I normally only participate on the Critterwatchers forum but I thought the following might be of interest to a wider group:
http://www.seadocsociety.org/seadoc-fin ... l-economy/
My apologies if this is the wrong place.

Financially yours,
Alex

Hi Taryn,

I think that your I.D.'s are correct except that the Stubby Rose has been renamed to Urticina clandestina. Check out this site: http://actiniaria.com/urticina_clandestina.php

Semanticly yours,
Alex

Hi Jan,
Wonderful images and fascinating information!
I've got a question about the anemones - What is the structure that they're growing on in the image and do you have any sense of how long it has been there?
Agedly yours,
Alex

Hi Jan,

More amazing images and terrific information! Thanks for all your good work.

Sycophantishly yours,
Alex

Hi Taryn, You might try the Sea Slug Forum - http://www.seaslugforum.net/ They have information on and images of just about any nudibranch imaginable. Searching for a photo match can be daunting because there are so many species covered but, if all else fails, you can send your photos to them for an...

Hi Carl, I agree completely with Jan. Just wanted to add that the "feelers" are actually modified feet - barnacles are crustaceans that are standing on their heads and kicking food into their mouths. More information can be found by doing a Google search on Balanus nubilus. Additively your...

Hi Jan,

Wow! What an amazing and stark contrast. Any ideas about what might have changed in the environment of that rock?

Changeably yours,
Alex

Hi Jan,

Your photos are always terrific but that first image of the leafy hornmouth & eggs is truly a cut above!

Gobsmackedly yours,
Alex

Hi Jan,

That 'colorizing' panel was very neat!

Question - In the areas you survey, are you seeing the number of stars (especially juveniles) growing?

Appreciatively yours,
Alex

Hi Jan, While I am always impressed by your photography, I'm even more impressed by your ability to find sources of information about your subjects! Here's something to add to your library about the Shaggy Mouse: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.2307/1543542 The gist of the paper is that...

Hi Jan,

Cool Find!. Repeated observations of the same site(s) pays off again. It will be interesting to see if this population sustains, expands, or collapses.

Invasively yours,
Alex

Hi Jan,

Please forgive my poor memory but was Langley Harbor (and Coupeville) clear of the disease prior to this year or is this outbreak 'round two'?

Sickly yours,
Alex

Hi Jan, Gorgeous images! Several years ago the Feiro Center hosted a talk on nudibranchs by Dave Behrens. I asked him about D. albolineata eating snails and he basically called BS and said that their primary diet is actually bryozoans (which seem to be in these photos). I just looked at Sea Slug For...

Greetings,
That appears to be the egg mass of a parasitic copepod.
http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20868
Nastily yours,
Alex

Hi Jan, Very cool images! I found this in the abstract of the paper describing this species - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19082575_Kronborgia_pugettensis_sp_nov_Neorhabdocoela_Fecampiidae_an_endoparasitic_turbellarian_infesting_the_shrimp_Heptacarpus_hincaidi_Rathbun_with_notes_on_its_l...