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Puerto Rico & Vieques 2008 Cruise, day three: March 28, 2008
swim the push
net (Credit:
Brian Degan)
Click to enlarge
Kunzelman
estimates
habitat cover
(Credit: John Burke)
Click to enlarge
lavender–hued
finger coral
(Credit: John
Burke)
Click to enlarge
Today was a struggle between man and nature in the name of science. The small boat dive teams managed to successfully complete 26 surveys, despite the baking tropical sun and five–foot swells. Ten of these were completed in our inshore sample area in conjunction with push net samples collected from seagrass beds. Sixteen surveys were completed at midshore locations where fish counts and habitat assessments were made.
On one of the transects, divers discovered a colony of thin finger coral (Porites divaricata) with a lavender hue. Normally beige to yellow–brown and brown, this species is common to abundant in the Caribbean, and the purple overtones are not often encountered.
The smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) is common in the Caribbean, but ranges from New England to Brazil. These reef fish are typically solitary, but they may also be found over sand and seagrass.
Divers aboard a small boat manage to take a lunch break in a calm cove (Credit: Brett Harrison) Click to enlarge |
