Rick Harbo – “Marine Life of the Strait of Georgia: past, present and future”

The lovely Pink Tritonia nudibranch (Tritonia diomedea) – R. Harbo

Everything depends on temperature – even the tides – R. Harbo

Because of mixing currents and temperature differentials, our tides are typically six hours later than those on the west coast of Vancouver Island – Google Earth

This has profound influences on the biodiversity of the region. This is Dwarf Red Sea Fan (Swiftia torreyi), one of the cold water corals – R. Harbo

Rick’s current area of interest is freshwater clams, which carry wonderfully descriptive names. I really liked the “pink heelsplitter”.

Although often overlooked, freshwater clams can be occasionally abundant. This is quadrat sampling. – R. Harbo

Here’s Rick at a particularly dense patch on the Cowichan River – A. Martel

Freshwater clams are interesting in that they require a fish host as part of their life cycle – illustrating yet again that in nature, everything is corrected to everything else.

There’s been a sea change in awareness of the extent of mariculture practised by First Nations. Yes, this is yet another clam garden. – R. Harbo

Rick wove a marvelous tale of how early explorers contributed to our current knowledge of natural history and geography: Cortez, Hernando,Galiano and Valdez Islands, Steller’s Jay, Sea Lions and Sea Cows… – R. Harbo

He was impressed with getting to examine plant specimens collected by Archibald Menzies, especially the Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) from Chile and the Five-Rib Kelp (Costaria costatus), the latter signed and dated, “Northwest Coast of America, 1788”.

There were a whole lot of “gee whiz I did not know that moments”. I was unaware, for example, of the scale of the button industry in the 1920s… – rasmusen.org & US FWS (inset)

Now did I know how lucrative was the trade in geoducks… – R. Harbo

or how a whole industry was spawned by navy divers who learned their craft by rescuing practice torpedos…

Which takes us to the present. Invasive bivalves have created enormous problems in large parts of eastern North America – Zebra and Quagga mussels are the best known of these. – BC Environment

But not all invasives are intrinsically bad. The Pacific Oyster (which was known as the Japanese Oyster until WWII), arrived in the early 1900s and begat a flourishing industry. – R. Harbo

Others, like this Savoury Clam, arrived but never really caught on commercially. It would appear that they’re not that savoury. – R. Harbo

Introduced species may benefit native species. For example there’s some evidence that Black Oystercatchers, our Club mascot, have done well as a result of introduced shellfish. – R. Harbo

Sea star wasting disease is another serious concern – N. McDaniel

As are the intertwined problems of global warming, ocean acidification, overharvesting… – R. Harbo

…and even the successful recovery of sea otters, which is great…except for sea urchins or, in this case, a horse clam – B. Gisborne

It’s all very complicated…and very beautiful. Here’s that lovely Pink Tritonia again – this time eating a sea pen! – R. Harbo

Rick Harbo – “Marine Life of the Strait of Georgia: past, present and future”
by Andrew Bryant, 4 June 2016.

Rick Harbo worked as a habitat protection biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada for over 35 years, and while “retired”, is presently an active Research Associate with the Royal BC Provincial Museum. Rick is also an accomplished photographer and author of numerous books, including the acclaimed field guides Tidepool and Reef , Whelks to Whales and Shells and Shellfish of the Pacific Northwest.

Rick took us a on a vicarious underwater journey, beginning with an introduction to freshwater molluscs, his current area of research. He also provided a fascinating historical overview, beginning with clam gardens and First Nations mariculture, the contributions of early explorers such as James Cook, George Vancouver, Dionisio Galiano, and Cayetano Valdés, as well as prominent naturalists such as Georg Steller, Archibald Menzies and Thomas Nuttall, who have species named after them.

His talk illustrated other historical events, such as the use of freshwater molluscs to make buttons, the development of a geoduck industry by U.S. Navy divers who normally recovered practice torpedos, and the renaming of Japanese Oysters during World War II.

These threads were tied together with an exploration of current threats to the marine ecosystem: introduced or invasive species such as Zebra or Quagga mussels, and global warming/ocean acidification.

Finally, Rick provided some helpful links, including a good scholarly paper about starfish wasting disease, a link to the DFO shellfish closures website, the DFO Seven Day Tide Table for Powell River, and a really useful marine life identification website hosted by the Pacific Northwest Shell Club.

Thanks Rick!

Rand Rudland – “Melanesian marvels”

Unknown dragonfly sp., Mt. Austen, Honiora (Guadalcanal), Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

This is Melanesia – specifically, one of the marvelous dancers at Choiseul – R. Rudland

The Spirit of Enderby (Professor Khromov) is a fully ice-strengthened vessel, built in 1984 for polar and oceanographic research. With 50 berths, she’s perfect for expedition travel – R. Rudland

Where’s Melanesia? Here’s the context…the Pacific is a very BIG ocean…

…and here are the places we stopped…

There’s clear water in the Solomons – R. Rudland

Before we explore some of the natural and cultural marvels of the region, let’s remind ourselves of the important military significance of the area. Guadalcanal, the sinking of John F Kennedy’s PT-109, the Battle of the Coral Sea, all of these and many more events took place here.

Relics of World War II abound. These are the remnants of a Japanese aircraft, in this case a Mitsubishi “Zero” fighter – R. Rudland

Others sail these waters too – this is a Spinner Dolphin at Tetepa – R. Rudland

and this is a Dugong at Vanuatu – one of the creatures on my “wish-list” – R. Rudland

Flying fish are neat – and hard to photograph! Exocetus sp, Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

Everywhere we landed we encountered music – and dancers. This lady is at Bipi Island, Papua New Guinea – R. Rudland

The traditional trade and culture was impressive. These are models of ocean-going canoes at Vanuatu – R. Rudland

Life is hard, and people face growing challenges in the region. But everywhere the children were smiling – expecially these guys with their homemade surf boards at Makira Island– R. Rudland

Barred Owlet-nightjar at Varirata National Park, Papua New Guinea – R. Rudland

Beach Thick-knee at Aravon Island, in the Solomons– R. Rudland

Unknown butterfly sp at Mt. Austen, Honiora (Guadalcanal), Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

Claret-breasted Fruit-dove at Tetepara, Solomons – R. Rudland

Dancers at Famla Village, Vanuatu – R. Rudland

Hawkbill Turtles, Arnavon Island, Solomons. – R. Rudland

Banded Sea Krait (Laticauda caulubrina), beautiful and deadly, as photographed by one of our divers.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater at Makira, Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

Unidentified skipper sp, Malaita Island, Solomon Islands– R. Rudland

Ornithologists have long known that Australasia is a world hotspot for bird species found nowhere else (endemic).

…as illustrated by the lovely Rufous Fantail, Queensland, Australia – R. Rudland

So how many bird species are there in Melanesia? The jury’s still out, but the easy answer is a lot

Here’s one: the endemic Makira Honeyeater, Makira, Solomon Islands– R. Rudland

Here’s another. The wonderfully-named Welcome Swallow, Makira, Solomon Islands– R. Rudland

Finally, a White-capped Monarch, Tetepare, Solomons – R. Rudland

NICE place – R. Rudland

Rand Rudland – “Melanesian marvels”
by Andrew Bryant, 21 April 2016.

Rand Rudland, MD, is just one of those people who’s hard to pin down. Physician to high arctic communities, whitewater rafting guide, globetrotting birder, Antarctic explorer, and Director of the Sunshine Coast Natural History Society, Rand visited Powell River to speak about his recent travels in Melanesia.

As Ship’s Physician aboard the Spirit of Enderby, he was able to visit some of the most remote places in the southwest Pacific – islands with exotic names like Nissan, Mussau, Vanikoro, Duff, Bipi, and Espiritu Santo – together with places that might resonate for some – like Guadalcanal, the Coral Sea, and Rabaul.

Did I mention that Rand is also a very talented photographer?

Although he mostly focused on birds – and the incredible level of endemisn to be found there – he also regaled us with images of seldom-seen tribal “sing-sings”, artifacts from the second world war, scary spiders, even scarier snakes, gorgeous butterflies, orchids, flying fish, and some of the happiest children in the world!

It’s not every day that you have a guest speaker casually say “oh and that’s a Superb Pitta…I think that’s only about the 4th or 5th time this species has ever been photographed…sorry for the poor quality, but the jungle was a bit dark, and it was about 42° C in the shade…”

A talk not to be missed. A more detailed description of his adventures was published in his own club’s wonderful Marsh Wrenderings, which I’ve made available here.

Dwight Owens – “Sour Seas: ocean acidification explained”

Here are the basic points relating to the chemistry of ocean acidification.

Cartoon illustration of ocean acidification processes by Pacific Marine Environmental Lab

You can think of pH as standing for the “Power of Hydrogen”. The lower the pH, the more hydrogen ions and the fewer hydroxide ions there are. Remember that this is a logarithmic scale, so small changes in number reflect big changes.

Carbon dioxide and temperature variations over the past 800,000 years.

Recent trends observed in atmospheric carbon dioxide (red), oceanic carbon dioxide (dark blue) and pH (light blue) observed at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa and Aloha observatories

Per-person uptake of carbon dioxide by the oceans.

Our current unprecedented rate of marine ecosystem change.

Coral reefs are tremendously valuable natural assets, which protect coastal zones from damaging storms and act as the nurseries of the sea.

Carbon dioxide concentration levels at which coral reefs stop growing and start dissolving, in context of various projected trends in carbon dioxide emissions.

The past and two possible futures for oceanic pH.

The past and possible future maps of ocean pH.

Past and possible future maps of Aragonite saturation state. Values below 1 were corrosive to corals and shellfish.

Map of past Aragonite saturation state. Values below 1 are corrosive to corals and shellfish.

Possible future map of Aragonite saturation state. Values below 1 were corrosive to corals and shellfish.

Varieties of cocolithophore phytoplankton raised at 300 parts per mission of carbon dioxide (upper row) and 800 parts per million (lower row).

Pteropods, also known as butterfly snails, are an important part of the marine food web.

If we don’t change course, pteropods will dissolve in conditions predicted for the Southern Ocean by the end of this century.

One day old oyster from the same parents hatched in favourable and unfavourable pH environments.

Magnified images of some of the many varieties of plankton that could be affected by changes to ocean pH.

Porcelain crabs metabolism and behaviours changed when exposed to predicted higher levels of pH and low-tide temperatures.

Global economic impacts of losing shellfish aquaculture may amount to $130 billion / year by 2100 — if we don’t change course.

Changes to phytoplankton communities may have significant and unpredictable impacts on global fisheries.

We’re changing the basic rules for everything, and because of this, many marine organisms may not survive.

Words of warning by Dr. James Hanson.

There are some very powerful entrenched interests that wish to keep the fossil fuel status quo, but the power of the people is rising.

Dwight Owens – “Sour Seas: ocean acidification explained”
by Andrew Bryant, 21 February 2016

Dwight Owens works for Ocean Networks Canada, where he serves as a “user engagement officer”. Although not a scientist himself, Dwight’s mandate is to help make recent scientific research accessible to the general public. This he did – in spades!

He spoke to us about ocean acidification, which has been called “global warming’s evil twin”. Using graphics gleaned from a wide variety of sources, Dwight provided a lively introduction to a very sobering topic.

Why are oceans becoming more acidic, and what impacts can we expect? Dwight discussed recent and projected changes, examining impacts on marine ecosystems and human society.

For those interested in learning more about this fascinating, although frightening, topic, Dwight also provided a help link to many on-line sources, which can be found here.