Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
With the jawfish checked o¤ of our “want list” the team took o¤
again, heading north for Steve Webster's place at Bahía de Los Ange-
les. Here they would dive for gorgonians and sea stars, which were des-
tined for the exhibit of Sea of Cortez invertebrates.
Steve had given John detailed directions on where to find the animals
we wanted. They unpacked, assembled, and pumped up one of the Zo-
diacs for a short run around to the outside of the bay. Gorgonians—
spindly, feathery relatives of corals and sea anemones—are abundant
in many places in the northern part of the Gulf; all the divers had to
do was select the right sizes and species. Once back on shore, they tied
cord around the bases of the gorgonians and suspended them in the
second holding tank, on the pickup truck. That way the delicate ani-
mals wouldn't be injured by contact with each other or with the walls
of the tank on the long ride home.
Much as the team would have liked to have stayed another day or
two in this beautiful place, they were under pressure to get the ani-
mals safely back to Monterey. After making a water change in the
moray tank, they reluctantly took o¤ for Tijuana and the U.S. bor-
der. When they arrived at the border, the customs o‹cial took one
look at the two trucks piled high with all manner of stu¤ and im-
mediately sent them over to Secondary Inspection, where thorough
checks are done.
Asked what they had in the big tank, the Monterey crew replied,
“Eels.” That was all it took. The customs o‹cer told them to get out
of there, sending both trucks on their way without looking at a thing.
It certainly couldn't have been because of the aquarists' clean, inno-
cent looks. Maybe he just didn't like eels.
The next stop was twenty miles north in San Diego, where the Sea
World sta¤ provided a much-needed change of seawater. Having re-
plenished the holding tanks with nice clean seawater and anxious to
get the fish to Monterey, our sta¤ decided that with five drivers they
could skip an overnight sleep stop in San Diego, and they took o¤ in
the early hours of the morning for Monterey. Ten hours later the aquar-
ists pulled into the service yard of the aquarium. Tired and happy to
be home, they each felt good about having pulled o¤ a di‹cult yet
highly successful collecting trip. The tequila bottle was passed around
Search WWH ::
Custom Search