Aleutian Islands Deep Water Corals Cruise, August 7, 2004
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Part I: Jason II hits a snag.
By science reporter Sonya Senkowsky.
Part II: What is coral?
Sources: Scott France, Bob Stone and Jon Heifetz, as well as Bruce Wing and
David Barnard's "Field Guide to Alaskan Corals" (draft) 2003.
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The rope that brought Jason II’s last dive of the Dutch Harbor-Adak leg to a
halt Saturday afternoon lies coiled on the deck of the R/V Roger Revelle
Saturday. Biologists took samples of several of the soft corals found on the
line. Photo by Sonya Senkowsky.
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Jason II hits a snag
The final Jason II dive of this leg of the cruise -- the last
during my time aboard -- was abruptly cut short less than halfway
through when the ROV stumbled across a derelict fishing line.
(Biologists aboard think it was an old crabpot line.)
I watched as the crew brought Jason in close to the ship, then, by
hand, hauled aboard a couple of hundred feet of line, freeing Jason
so they could finish recovering the ROV. From a distance, it looked
as if the men were hauling in old, badly frayed rope.
On closer inspection, this line was full of life. What I'd thought
from a distance was frayed rope turned out to be different kinds of
soft corals and other creatures.
Looking closer, I could even see clumps of thin, inch-long
translucent animals, like little rice noodles with legs -- waving
those legs frantically in the air. On closer inspection, I could see
they weren't noodlelike at all, but more like insects -- maybe tiny
praying mantises. Biologist Scott France explained that these
caprellid amphipods, commonly called skeleton shrimp, make their
livelihoods this way, hanging from hooks on their back legs and
gathering food.
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