Beach Seine Jan 9, 2008 · 9 January 2008, 09:51 by Julie Loyd
Watch this post for pictures.
Objective: To see what fish are around in January.
Future plans: To make videotapes of the fish in January.
Crew: Glen, Barry, David, Julie, Camilla, Laurie, and Kiayah
Location, weather: Between the dock and the first two rocks in the water at Cowlitz, the east lobe of Frances’ Cove, and waterwards of the junipers at TNC. Air temperature was 8 degrees and water temperature off the Cowlitz float was 7 degrees. It was cloudy, with the wind less than 12 knots. Slight surf. Tide high and rising.
Cowlitz: 10:40 caught 2 fish, probably smelt, at 7” and 6.3”.
Birds sighted were: a Horned Grebe, 4 female Buffleheads, 15 crows, and a Bald Eagle with a fish
Frances’ Cove: 11:15, caught a sculpin at 3.5”, and a 6.5” green snakey thing with a tube snout.
Birds sighted were: a Horned Grebe, 2 Bald Eagles, a male Bufflehead with prey, a male Common Merganser.
TNC: 12:00, caught three 3” sand dabs, one 2.5” spherical fish with suctions on its belly (a clingfish, or Gobiesox maeandricus. Gopher snakes eat them), and a 3” sculpin. The catch of the day was an adult salmon! It was very plump, over 12”, and didn’t fit well in the bucket. It got away while I was trying to fill the bucket with water (don’t ask). As I remember in the excitement, it was greenish-silver, with duller greenish spots distributed randomly. About 5% of its scales were missing.
Birds sighted were 2 female Buffleheads, 2 Bald Eagles in a tree and a juvenile in the air, 2 Horned Grebes, 1 Surf Scoter
What we need to do a good beach seine:
Net storage is fine. We pile it on a plywood board and store it under a tarp at Fred & Donna’s. It’s got a 100’ line attached at either end, on the spreader bars. (The bars themselves may not be a good solution).
We have 4 white restaurant buckets and a collection of soft-meshed nets. We used hands instead of nets this time. We also need a larger tub.
We didn’t bring, but should have, a measuring thing and more data sheets.
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