Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III

[Pipehorse]

I have a video at 60 ft of a school of spadefish doing the same on the sand bottom. This summer off Palm Beach.

It's a very interesting behavior. I have seen them rub against a sand bottom as well. I think it must be an attempt to rid themselves of some parasite that we can't see with the naked eye. Rubbing against a sand bottom would seem like a natural substrate for that sought of behavior. I find it fascinating that they find a fin presented vertically as a good substitute.

 

[Pipehorse]

Hi BHB trolls! I hope it is okay for me to post this here: we have started a BHB project on iNaturalist to document the diodiversity of the site. It was suggested that this could help with future protection efforts for the bridge.

If you are on iNaturalist already, feel free to join the project. Any observations from the bridge should show up in the project automatically, but do watch the size of your “certainty circle” because if it is too big, it won’t be included. I made it a pretty large area to try to catch everything I could, but it still can miss some observations.

If you haven’t ever used iNaturalist, it is an amazing tool. You upload photos of your observations and then pick the species you think it is. If you don’t know, then you can go all the way up to “family.” Citizen scientists and real scientists (Terry Gosliner is even on there!) will agree or offer alternatives. It’s been really fun to learn about taxonomy and I’ve had some great conversations with fellow macro hunters!

Anyways, check it out: The Blue Heron Bridge Project

Sounds like an awesome project!

 

[Pipehorse]

Did a REEF fish count today, 68 species in sixty minutes. White Mullet (though could be striped) poor guy hiding in a dark spot hanging out with French Grunt without another mullet in sight, Gray Angelfish, Lionfish, and Orangespot Goby.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

That orangespot goby, is that the ones that like to live with the shrimp?

 

[Pipehorse]

That orangespot goby, is that the ones that like to live with the shrimp?

Yes!

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Dang, now I need a closer look..
tenatively (if I can leave early from work) will be diving on Friday... fingers crossed...

 

[PBcatfish]

Did a REEF fish count today, 68 species in sixty minutes. White Mullet (though could be striped) poor guy hiding in a dark spot hanging out with French Grunt without another mullet in sight, Gray Angelfish, Lionfish, and Orangespot Goby.

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That's interesting. I normally see the mullet hanging at the surface in schools. And I haven't seen very many lions at the bridge. They litter many of the other reefs, but for some reason, I see few there. I was actually wondering if something was being done to control them there, since spears are not allowed in that area.

 

[tarponchik]

That's interesting. I normally see the mullet hanging at the surface in schools. And I haven't seen very many lions at the bridge. They litter many of the other reefs, but for some reason, I see few there. I was actually wondering if something was being done to control them there, since spears are not allowed in that area.

I'd say, the current may be too strong. They are not active swimmers and have way more surface area than Scorpionfish. They are probably dragged away by their huge fins and spines.

 

[Pipehorse]

Did a REEF fish count today. 77 species in 63 minutes. All the posts before this one I was diving the westside (except for the Scamp images on the snorkel trail). Today I was on the eastside. Current was not as strong as it has been the last few days, but it was King Tide, and the water level was very high. It was my intention to try and only attach images of the dive I do on a particular day, but unfortunately I did not charge my phone last night, thusly losing power at the beginning of the dive. So no images from today, a pity because I found a Fringed Filefish (definitely Fringed and not Slender). The images attached are the westside yesterday. Juvenile Foureye Butterflyfish, Mutton Snapper with Yellowfin Mojarra in background, and Black Grouper.

 

[Pipehorse]

That's interesting. I normally see the mullet hanging at the surface in schools. And I haven't seen very many lions at the bridge. They litter many of the other reefs, but for some reason, I see few there. I was actually wondering if something was being done to control them there, since spears are not allowed in that area.

I usually see Mullet in areas where there is less current, usually near the beach in the swim area, or on the northeast side between the rip rap and finger pier next to boat ramps. A special permit is needed to do anything about Lionfish at the bridge. You are right though, thankfully Lionfish are relatively uncommon at the bridge. Despite the large number of species that have been documented at the bridge (according REEF database, 450, the most in any surveyed area through the tropical western Atlantic), some species are conspicuously absent. Depth is one factor, but tolerance for change in salinity during out going tides might be another. For example, rarely do you see any of Squirrelfish Family represented at the bridge.