Sea Notes

A Diver’s Dream Job

For Brianne Fitzgerald, associate curator of fish and invertebrates, diving isn’t just a diversion. Her entire career has been based on a passion for being beneath the waves.

“When I was in college at Humboldt State [University], I took every scuba class they had to offer, from open water, to advanced, to rescue, to dive master and scientific diver,” she says. “Scuba was my foundation, and all my career moves were because of it.”

And she still dives, almost every week, as part of her job at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Sometimes, says Brianne, it hardly seems like work at all.

The Local Connection

Brianne, who has worked here for five years, grew up in nearby Hollister and started coming to the Aquarium in the year of its opening, 1984. “All our weekend trips were to the beach and the Aquarium,” says Brianne. “After coming here and seeing what was happening underwater, I was hooked.” After getting a degree in marine biology and zoology, she worked for eight years at a marine sciences camp for kids on Catalina Island (the Catalina Island Marine Institute). “I ran labs for kids and took them snorkeling, diving, kayaking and hiking,” she says. “It was fun and easy living on the island, and it was so great to be around the kids’ energy and see them introduced to nature. Some of them had never seen underwater life, and it was a great experience.”

After coming to the Aquarium in 2006, Brianne worked in the dive office and was put in charge of the Underwater Explorers program. Later, she moved into a management position in animal husbandry. So what’s a typical day like in her current job?

“The coolest thing is that there is no typical day,” she says. With hardly any notice, she’ll suddenly find herself donning a wetsuit and swimming alongside a giant sea bass—something she doesn’t mind a bit. “I might hop in the Kelp Forest for a little ‘gardening project,’ help out with a mola feeding or give a sea turtle its medicine,” she says. “I’m always available to jump in where coverage is needed. I plan my day, but sometimes that plan goes out the door. I never know.”

She recently helped transfer animals from the Outer Bay exhibit—which is being renovated—to the Aquarium’s holding facility in Marina. “My job was to help the dive team corral and catch the big sharks and transfer them,” she says. “It was a challenge—the sharks swim much faster than I do, especially when I’m wearing protective chainmail!”

She’s also frequently called upon to go on collecting missions. “I just went to the Monterey commercial wharf to collect eelgrass for our pipefish and aviary fish exhibits, as well as to get encrusting invertebrates for our pier piling exhibit,” she says.

Of course, there are routine tasks as well. “My job each morning is to help the aquarists get the galleries and exhibits prepared for the arrival of our guests,” she says. “We need to siphon the exhibits, clean the windows, feed the animals and ensure the exhibits are at the high standard that people expect.”

Inquisitive Otters

Almost every day contains a surprise. For instance, during Underwater Explorers, a youth program that takes place in the Great Tide Pool, the fun would sometimes be interrupted by inquisitive otters.  “We would have an otter come into the exhibit, hang out and sun themselves. We can’t have kids that close to otters, so we’d cancel the program. But we’d have to laugh, because the ocean belongs to them.”

Once, during a collection mission, Brianne had an otter experience that was too close for comfort. “I was collecting eel grass, and at one point I looked up and saw this big furry object heading toward me. It was an otter, and he grabbed me with four paws on the sides of my head and gave me a shake.” Fortunately, no harm done—to either party.

Something’s in the Water

Sometimes, says Brianne, the myriad details of the job take over and she’ll suddenly realize “weeks have gone by since I’ve been in the water.” That’s her cue to renew the tie that brought her to the Aquarium in the first place. “What I love about scuba is that you’re always seeing something that you haven’t seen before,” she says. “My local connection is what makes my job unique—it’s been great to come back as a professional. And what makes us unique as an Aquarium is that we’re able to get water from such a clean, unpolluted source. Ocean water is the heartbeat of this place.”

Dog and Whale Tales

 
Off the coast of Washington State, the community of resident orcas of Puget Sound are in decline. Scientists, fearing that stress of invasive sampling techniques could be harmful, have called in an expert to help them collect samples in a totally non-invasive way.

Enter Tucker, the black labrador, expert scatologist - finder of poops - of multiple species, including killer whales. His keen nose alerts his handlers to floating orca waste, which can reveal a whole host of information about the animal it recently resided in.

On a visit to the Aquarium you may see our biologists collect a sample of sea otter poop. It helps us keep track of levels of hormones in our females, amongst other things.

You can learn more about Tucker's work, and the whales he's trying to help on this 30 minute podcast courtesy of the BBC.

 

Sevengill Secrets

In September we released two healthy sevengill sharks into Monterey Bay. They thrived during their stay, the largest growing five inches (to more than seven feet in length) and gaining 36 pounds. Just as important, they helped educate thousands of visitors about the power and beauty of large sharks—and the dangers they face in the wild.

Within weeks, they were replaced by two more sevengills, collected near San Francisco—one measuring almost eight feet.

This rotation of sevengills through our Monterey Bay Habitats exhibit is great for shark fans—and shark conservation. By displaying, tagging and releasing these beautiful animals, we’re learning more about shark behavior, movement and population size, providing critical clues about what can be done to save sharks worldwide.

It All Started with Emma

Among the Aquarium’s sevengills, one shark looms largest: Emma. Displayed for four years in the early 1990s, she was close to 300 pounds and almost 10 feet. She was also one of the first sevengills to be tagged upon release in Monterey Bay, and traveled to Humboldt Bay before being caught more than two years later.

“We usually don’t name sharks,” says Manny Ezcurra, associate curator of elasmobranchs. “But Emma was such a presence.”

She also set the stage for the next 15 years of sevengill tagging. Since then, the Aquarium has tagged and released 24 exhibit sevengills; 62 others have been tagged and released at sea.

Tagging Shows How Far They Travel

So-called “floy tags”—attached near the dorsal fin—provide information about the shark in the event it’s caught by a fisherman. Over time, this information can help paint a picture of where sharks go, and for how long. More than 17 percent of sharks tagged by the Aquarium have been recaptured, “which is very high,” says Manny.

The most surprising finding so far is the sheer distance these sharks travel. “We’ve had some recaptured as far away as La Jolla, California; and Baja, California,” says Manny. “Some travel north, while others travel south. It appears that sevengill sharks are wide ranging in their movements along the coast, but tend to return to the same estuaries to pup, feed and mate.”

DNA Helps Connect the Dots

In addition the Aquarium—working with partners—has been collecting tissue samples for DNA analysis. This enables researchers to tie together different populations of sevengills, giving further clues about migration patterns and breeding.

“Initial data indicates that sevengills from California are very different from those of the western Pacific,” says Manny. “With time and more samples we may be able to get a clearer picture of the global populations of sevengills and how closely they’re related.”

While sevengills are not threatened, worldwide populations of large sharks are dropping precipitously. Meanwhile, surprisingly little is known about the habits of these sharks.

“If we can supply more information, that will make it easier to protect and regulate sharks,” says Manny. “Right now there isn’t a lot of information.”

Must Love Sharks

Why are people so fascinated with sharks, and sevengills in particular? “Visitors see large sharks and are really drawn to them,” says Manny. “And the sevengill is one of our largest coastal sharks.”

“A lot of people don’t know that the San Francisco bay is home to these large sharks—it’s a very important nursery. They’re right around us, but they’re a mystery to us.”

You can watch sevengill sharks being fed by divers Sundays and Wednesdays at noon in our Monterey Bay Habitats exhibit.

 

 

Oceans in Motion, Flamingos in Flight

If you missed seeing the remarkable Disneynature film OCEANS when it was released in theaters on Earth Day, or when it screened at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival in Monterey this summer -- don't worry.

The movie's out this week on DVD and Blu-Ray disc, which means you'll be able to watch it at your leisure. That includes hatchling sea turtles, breaching whales, diving sea birds, giant jellyfish, great white sharks and myriad other detailed glimpses into the lives of ocean animals.

And, as it did with ticket sales for the theatrical release, Disneynature is partnering with The Nature Conservancy and will make a contribution to coral reef preservation with every DVD/Blu-Ray sale of OCEANS, between October 19 and 25.

Also available this week, another Disneynature film -- The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos. Since they're the stars of our newest special exhibition, it's a nice double-release for anyone who loves marine life.

Though it didn't as much attention as Oceans, The Crimson Wing is well worth a look as you can see in the trailer below.

 

Hope Spots

Author Jim Covel is senior manager of guest experience at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

I had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Sylvia Earle this past summer at the Blue Ocean Film Festival.  If you haven’t heard of Sylvia, she is a remarkable woman and champion of the oceans.  She has logged over 7,000 hours underwater in 400+ expeditions, she has been a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Chief Scientist for NOAA, and was named Time Magazine’s first “Hero of the Planet.”  She has been one of my personal heroes for many years.

Sylvia was talking about the movement to protect key segments of marine habitats around the world.  From a scientific standpoint, these marine protected areas and sanctuaries contain valuable elements of gene pools, and create reproductive refugia for fish populations.  But Sylvia went beyond the scientific value to look at the importance of these areas as a source of inspiration for all of us.  She referred to them as “hope spots,” places that remind us of the beauty and intricacy of nature—and remind us of the importance of protecting natural systems.

This idea—hope spots—applies not only to marine parks and protected areas, but I think it’s a great frame to apply to terrestrial parks and reserves as well.  More and more of the human population is just as isolated from natural areas on land as from world beneath the surface of the oceans.  If we’re not able to experience examples of intact, healthy natural systems, we may never understand the importance of preserving these systems. 

But it goes beyond understanding the value of nature to provide food, air, water and other life-sustaining resources.  I think Sylvia Earle was talking about the spirit-sustaining resources, the inspiration we draw from these places.  Direct experience with wild places and other living things is one of the most effective ways to forge those emotional connections we strive for in interpretation.  Every time I dive, I’m stunned by how comfortable fishes, even marine mammals, are with my presence.  Rather than flee, fishes go on about their business as I swim up within arm’s reach.  Harbor seals and sea lions come over to tug on my fins or look in my face mask.  It’s like walking into a stranger’s home and instantly being treated as one of the family.  Even one brief experience under water like this and you’ll be inspired to keep these special places and special friends around.  Close encounters with wildlife in a park or refuge on land can have the same effect.

Hope can be defined as the feeling that things will turn out as desired, that positive outcomes lie in our future.  If we are to undertake the growing effort required to preserve wild places and natural systems, we must have hope that our work will pay off.  Spending time in nature puts us in touch with other living things and compels us to care for these creatures and their homes.  The hope spots on this Earth define the outcomes that will become our vision of a protected place, a healthy natural system.

As interpreters, part of our job is to guide people to these hope spots and to help them connect with the land (or water) and the creatures that dwell there.  Moreover, you may want to think about your personal hope spots, the places that furnish you with the energy and commitment to fight for taking care of our planet.  And I want to thank Sylvia Earle for reminding us about the importance of hope.  She is, indeed, a Hero of the Planet.

Kit's Back!

 
Musical Mustelids

It’s all change at the sea otter exhibit. Wave goodbye to Joy and pup 502, and say hello to Kit and Rosa.

After several months behind the scenes, young Kit is back! We hope you’ve been following her story, Otter U: Kit Goes to College.

Now, just in time for fall semester, Kit takes on a new challenge -- being on exhibit (and on streaming web cam) in front of her legions of admirers.

Kit’s Story Part 7

In the last few weeks, Kit has divided her time between being a companion for young otters waiting for release to the wild, and getting reacquainted with her human caregivers.

Behind the scenes, Kit has become accustomed to isolation from people, so her wild companions don’t learn to associate humans as providers of food. But on exhibit, Kit must learn to trust humans, who are there to provide food, as well as perform medical checks and other necessary interactions.

Chris DeAngelo, our associate curator of mammals, has been working patiently with Kit behind the scenes, slowly rebuilding trust so that Kit feels comfortable in close proximity to a human and being hand fed. Once this was established Kit began to let Chris to touch her belly and chest for the all-important health exams.

Kit’s also been discovering some of the novel aspects of life as an exhibit sea otter – like toys that hide food, or a bucket full of ice to sit in (or nibble on).

Enter Rosa

Rosa, one of our experienced exhibit otters, joins Kit for her return to the public side of the Aquarium. Rosa’s been behind the scenes, too, serving as a surrogate mom for another stranded pup. Now that the pup is weaned, and sharing time with other juveniles, Rosa is ready to return to exhibit.

Although Rosa is used to spending time with animals of different ages, this is Kit’s first encounter with an adult sea otter since she was separated from Mae at weaning age, many weeks ago. Kit will soon learn that there is a pecking order among otters, and you can’t just help yourself to whatever you like!

Rosa too will have also adjustment period. Her first instinct was to pass a clam to Kit, as if she were a pup. Although that sounds super cute to us, it’s actually not a relationship we want to foster. To be successful as an adult, Kit needs to be independent and take her cues from our otter staff.

Will work for food

If you’ve seen any of our exhibit otter feeding and training sessions over the last few years, then you know that our staff train them to respond to a host of voice commands, hand signals and associated behaviors that we use to keep our animals healthy and mentally stimulated.

Kit's training will start with a few basics, such as stationing – coming to an assigned position for feeding. (Home base, if you like.) When we have multiple otters on exhibit, it helps us make sure they each get their assigned ration of food, according to their individual body weight. Kit’s station will be center stage. While she’s figuring this out, you can probably expect to find her anywhere but there! We'll start to add other cues and behaviors as she gets more familiar with her new surroundings and is calm and not distracted by whatever else is happening around her!

But all in good time. There’s a long way to go before Kit can graduate from Otter U!

Where to, 502?

They grow so fast! The time has come for otter pup 502 to separate from her surrogate Joy and take the next steps in her own Otter U journey. She will begin by spending time with juveniles of a similar age before her final medical exam, which we hope will find her fit and healthy enough to earn a place in a new forever home. Like Kit, 502 cannot be returned to the wild, so she will act as an ambassador for her species. A recent medical exam showed that she is recovering well from the peritonitis she arrived with as a stranded youngster. We’ll keep you posted about her health, and the plans to place her and her new name!

Creative Photo Caption?

We're running a photo caption contest through our Monterey Bay Aquarium Facebook page. If the image below inspires you, follow the link and share your cleverest thoughts. If you're not inspired to write, enjoy the photo for itself!

 

Fabulous Fiji Findings

Once again, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and New England Aquarium have launched a joint research expedition to Fiji, along with scientists from Conservation International. Our own Dr. Steve Webster, one of the founders of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is back aboard as part of the expedition team.

In addition to having amazing fun diving in the bountiful, beautiful waters of this South Pacific archipelago, they're doing some serious science -- and sharing what they've seen and learned on the Global Explorers Blog.

You can follow their adventures. Here's a small taste of what they're seeing.