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(
Medialuna californiensis
), horn sharks, swell sharks, garibaldi (
Hyp-
sipops rubicunda
), sheephead (
Semicossyphus pulcher
), ocean whitefish
(
Caulolatilus princeps
), and kelp bass (
Paralabrax clathratus
).
The morning after arriving in Santa Barbara we launched the
Lucile
and headed for Santa Cruz Island, where we would rendezvous with
the
Just Love
. Halfway across the channel we spotted a floating mat of
kelp that had broken loose from the rocky shore of the mainland or
one of the islands. Known locally as kelp paddies, these drifting masses
of algae are fairly common in the Santa Barbara and Catalina Chan-
nels. Because the floating kelp gets plenty of sunlight and obtains its
nutrients directly from the surrounding water, kelp paddies can thrive
for months as they drift with the currents.
Many of the fish that live along the shore spawn by releasing thou-
sands of floating eggs, which develop and drift with the plankton be-
fore hatching. Those larval fish that are fortunate enough to end up
near shore at the right time of their development may survive, but many
that drift helplessly in the vast, open sea either die or are eaten. Drift-
ing kelp paddies serve as temporary oases of shelter for sometimes hun-
dreds of young fishes that happen upon them as they drift.
Over time, the kelp paddy accumulates more and more young fish.
Eventually, predators like yellowtail (
Seriola dorsalis
), tuna, and jack-
mackerel (
Trachurus symmetricus
) begin to circle the paddies, trying
to pick o¤ the smaller fish that are using the kelp for shelter. Often,
too, one can find a mola, or ocean sunfish (
Mola mola
), hanging be-
low these floating islands of life, even though it isn't in search of food
there.
Spotting this drifting kelp paddy, we knew it could be our chance
to pick up the halfmoons we needed for our kelp gallery. Using little
barbless hooks with colored yarn attached and casting next to the paddy,
we caught a couple of dozen young three- to four-inch halfmoons. This
was excellent; we hadn't even made it to the island yet, and we could
cross the halfmoons o¤ the want list.
The other species we were after required di¤erent techniques. We
rendezvoused with the
Just Love
and prepared for our first dive, an-
choring next to a kelp bed in a small, rocky-bottomed cove. Here we
planned to collect two of the bright-orange garibaldi and a number of
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