Comments on: Crabs and Fish Eggs

By: cgnwysitpq

cgnwysitpq — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:53:56 +0000

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By: tgcygon

tgcygon — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:00:46 +0000

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By: Dora

Dora — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 06:28:11 +0000

I came, I read this article, I coqunered.

By: chris

chris — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:44:53 +0000

While out lobstering yesterday in maine I came across some strange eggs floating. I picked them up. The best way to describe them would be to imagine bubble wrap, the bigger ones with the bubbles about the size of a golfball. Inside each bubble there was what looked to me like some kind of crab, possibly hermit.
There were problably a dozen or so bubbles each having legs like a crab in like a fetal position.The entire section was approx 18″ x6″x3″. It was very clear in color just like bubble wrap . The species in the bubbles were orange.
I have no idea if this is a natural egg formation or if it is some sort of combo of real eggs attached to something man made. If I were to guess, I would say that it was natural. chris

By: SEAPLEX Day 9 Part 2 « SEAPLEX

SEAPLEX Day 9 Part 2 « SEAPLEX — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:32:54 +0000

[...] Previous pictures have shown fish eggs attached to pieces of plastic. Here are some flying fish eggs that were found attached to a bird feather, a much more natural settlement site. Photo taken by Jim Leichter. [...]

By: MichaelH

MichaelH — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:53:54 +0000

Thank you for your time and answers. Perhaps a spectrographic analysis of the zooplankton would reveal if they have ingested plastic compounds that are too small for microscopic detection. However, I doubt you have a spectrograph onboard! I get the feeling that the ocean floor sediment is being covered in a sludge composed of plastic particles which in turn are covered in biofilm. Would be interesting to see the effect on filter feeders. I understand such studies are impossible given the equipment you have onboard – send my sincere regrets to Chelsea; I know how frustrating that can be. I’m very curious as to just how far this plastic is “decomposing” and its effect on the ocean fauna. As small as the particles are, it seems ingestion will be certain in some species. And if you folks decide to catch some fish for dinner, an “unofficial” microscopic examination of the gill structures may prove interesting. I’m thinking you may find plastic particles in the gills (which may impact the fish’s respiration, reducing size.) Boy, do I wish I was there to do some sampling & study on this! Thanks again.

By: Alison Cawood

Alison Cawood — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:51:00 +0000

The eggs will hatch and the fish will be carried away from the plastic.

By: Alison Cawood

Alison Cawood — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:32:08 +0000

It does take time to answer the questions, but in the long run, I definitely think that it is worth it! Increasing interest and public literacy about science helps all scientists in the long run!

We are looking into the small particles. Slides are being made to look at phytoplanton and microzooplankton. Those slides will also be analyzed for plastic particles. That will go down to the micrometer size range. At this point, we are not looking at anything smaller than that. There aren’t any plans to look at the impacts on fish gills or other delicate features at this point, but that is a very interesting idea. We don’t know if the plastic particles are reaching the deep sea floor, but that is something that Chelsea Rochman is very interested in and hopes to investigate in the future. There are plans to see if the zooplankton are ingesting the plastic particles, but I’m not sure how those are going to be conducted. I know that there are plans to investigate the gut contents of the fishes.

By: MichaelH

MichaelH — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:49:47 +0000

Thank you for your response. This activity must be keeping you very busy and taking your time away from your studies. My sympathies.
Questions: It is apparent many of these particles are very small as a result of breakdown (UV, collision, whatnot). Can you determine the minimum size these plastic particles are breaking down to? (eg. dust sized, or further, such as nanometer?). If so, what would the effect be on fish gills (accumulations on gill surface?) and bottom feeders (such as clams)? It seems that given the minuet size, organisms must be ingesting these particles. I realize examination of bottom feeders will be impossible at this time and current ocean depths; perhaps later land based research based upon your particulate findings may answer that question.
Also: Any plans to examine stomach & intestinal contents of sample species to determine if there are any clumps of this material accumulating, which would lead to malnutrition symptoms through intestinal blockages or “full” stomachs? Thank you for your time, good luck, and have a fun and interesting time.

By: Mayra Paez

Mayra Paez — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:13:53 +0000

How can the fish larvae survive on the plastic?
-CVHS student.