[FIELDNOTE] Bay Pipefish

Living on an island with not a lot of amenities as far as children are concerned, we need to use our imagination to invent fun things to do. Throw in a global pandemic which closes are one and only playground, our schools all social activities and weather that seems to be on and off equals a pretty stressed out Mama at times!

Luckily, my girlie and I have a favourite past time that fills our afternoon with lots of excitement and offers us a multitude of learning experiences. We call it 'Jellyfishing' - an ode to Spongebob Squarepants and his sidekick, Patrick's favourite past time. We load up our buckets and nets and head down to the local marina to see what we can find.

On this particular day, we caught a lot of beautiful creatures to observe closely in our bucket before releasing. We found purple and orange sea stars hanging out on the pillars below the dock, as well as, leatherstars resting in the sandy depths. We caught lots of teeny shiners, jellyfish and several pipefish which was such a treat.

Pipefish are a type of seahorse that lives in the grassy areas fairly close to shore such as in kelp, eelgrass and sargassum weed. We noticed these guys bobbing around in the debris and seaweed that's growing on the underside of the docks. They were quite camouflaged as they appear as long skinny sticks - in fact we caught quite a few sticks much to our dismay. These little guys are fairly easy to scoop up gently and are fascinating to watch...just keep an eye on your bucket, as the crows were very interested in the treats we were catching!

Here's some cool facts about the Bay Pipefish.

ANIMAL TYPE: Fishes HABITAT: Coastal wetlands SIZE: Up to 13 inches (33 cm) DIET: Small crustaceans RANGE: Sitka, Alaska, to southern Baja California in Mexico. Common in eelgrass in bays and sloughs. RELATIVES: Kelp pipefish, Pacific seahorses; Family: Syngnathidae

At first glance, you might not notice a bay pipefish gliding through the eelgrass — its long, pencil-slim body and greenish color mimic a swaying blade. In place of scales, jointed, bonelike rings encircle this fish’s body. To eat, a hungry pipefish gets its tubular, toothless mouth an inch or so from its prey — and slurps.

Natural history | A pipefish has tiny dorsal and pectoral fins that beat rapidly as it leisurely swims — either vertically or (mostly) horizontally. A pipefish steers by moving its head from side to side.

Conservation | No major commercial or sport fisheries exist for bay pipefish, but dried pipefish and seahorses are used for medicinal purposes in some cultures. Pipefish, mixed with herbs, are used for whole body treatments, while seahorses are used for specific ailments. Pipefish are abundant, but if the demand from alternative healthcare markets and collectors dramatically increases, pipefish might become as scarce as many of their seahorse relatives.

Cool Facts | A female pipefish courts the male. If the courting is successful, she deposits up to 721 eggs in a brood pouch on the underside of the male’s body. Then a protective tissue forms over the pouch opening and seals the eggs inside. The male incubates the eggs and even supplies nourishment to the embryos via an attachment to his abdominal wall and bloodstream. The eggs hatch in about six weeks depending on water temperature.

The pipefish was named after the long, slim pipes men smoked in the mid-1700s.

Source: montereybayaquarium.org

A successful day of Wandering and Wondering on our beautiful island (above is a short video of our bucket o' fishies)