BajaNomad

Jellyfish (Salps)

Osprey - 2-1-2010 at 06:03 PM

Help! The salps are here, the salps are here. My neighbors went out this morning and encountered thick and widespread swarms of salps (see a recent thread). So thick in places one could not see beneath the surface. They said the swarm might be 20 miles across. Some fish eat them but that subject seems not to be the focus of a lot of research. Not easily done > catch a fish, look for jelly?

One swarm studied in the Atlantic took up almost 40,000 sq. miles. Whoa, the SOC is only 68,000 sq miles. We need to shove these things over to Mexico where they can eat the phytoplankton from the fertilizer runoff of the Yaqui Valley, put the O back into Ocean.

Fishermen want more info so if you know more, tell us. My pals caught one lone barrilete (are all the fish eating the salps?)

maspacifico - 2-1-2010 at 06:44 PM

Salps? Never heard that but as good a name as any! They have been here for a month, from the beach to a mile and a half out some days. When they are in small pods (?) baitfish are hanging around underneath and drawing bigger fish to them. When they are thick it's like paddling in soup. I don't think the fish are eating them but the turtles are lovin' it.

Osprey - 2-1-2010 at 07:13 PM

Want to tell us where you are?

Pescador - 2-1-2010 at 07:16 PM

We had them pretty thick up here in Santa Rosalia and they would stick to the line and when you went to brush them off or pull them off, they are slightly stingy. We were doing really well on the yellowtail today and when my friend went to land the fish he ended up with the line laying across his neck which left a lot of red marks and stung quite a bit.

Osprey - 2-1-2010 at 07:25 PM

Thanks Fisherman, I know you and I won't accept anything less from you on these critters than a lesson on how to filet em, whether they should be empanesadoed or just ajoed. One more question: what's the limit? What do they look like after an hour on the ice? After an hour not on the ice? Sopa? Stingy sopa?

noproblemo2 - 2-1-2010 at 07:46 PM

PICS!!!!!!

Osprey - 2-1-2010 at 08:16 PM

Add something to the board and then it will come back tenfold.

Your posts show you to be someone with lots of questions, little snippets of yes and no's and nothing more.

noproblemo2 - 2-1-2010 at 08:38 PM

Then again often times less is more and more is less!!! Since when is asking a question wrong? The only stupid question is the one unasked.... A simple yes or no is also the only reply permitted in a court of law also. So to my post for pics, well that should have been quite obvious so that we all can see the "Salps"......

Osprey - 2-2-2010 at 07:26 AM

Instead of SCREAMING PICS!!! just google salps. I thought I lead you there by the hand. Was that an order by you for me to jump in my boat with my camera so you wouldn't have to hit a few keyboard keys? You make no sense lady. Not now, not before. We can only hope.

wessongroup - 2-2-2010 at 07:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Osprey
Help! The salps are here, the salps are here. My neighbors went out this morning and encountered thick and widespread swarms of salps (see a recent thread). So thick in places one could not see beneath the surface. They said the swarm might be 20 miles across. Some fish eat them but that subject seems not to be the focus of a lot of research. Not easily done > catch a fish, look for jelly?

One swarm studied in the Atlantic took up almost 40,000 sq. miles. Whoa, the SOC is only 68,000 sq miles. We need to shove these things over to Mexico where they can eat the phytoplankton from the fertilizer runoff of the Yaqui Valley, put the O back into Ocean.

Fishermen want more info so if you know more, tell us. My pals caught one lone barrilete (are all the fish eating the salps?)


Did what you suggested, not sure this gives one the "scope" of what your neighbors "saw"



If they get a chance it would be something to "see" via a photograph.. just my 2 cents:):)

Osprey - 2-2-2010 at 08:13 AM

The picture they would bring me would not be much revealing -- seen from a boat deck the swarm undoubtadly looks like a slick. The creatures are almost invisible with two black dots inside like small eyes --- envision a sea afloat with hair gel scattered with fine black sand. Thanks Wesson for your perfectly timed contribution.

wessongroup - 2-2-2010 at 08:17 AM

No problem.. it must be something that you have to be there to really get !!!, but very interesting:):)

Pescador - 2-2-2010 at 12:58 PM

Well, we are talking about the same thing, a long hair like creature with small black dots that I assume are eyes or something. They adhere to the line or almost anything they come in contact with. One of my mackeral baits today had one hanging out of his mouth when I brought him up to check his condition. They leave a real nasty red coloring on my otherwise beautiful white spectra line.
This is definately an El Nino Year and our water temps are about 8 degrees higher than normal for this time of the year so I suspect that is somehow related. I don't want to go any further into that before some rocket scientist comes on here and suggests that it has something to do with "Global Warming". :lol::lol:

maspacifico - 2-2-2010 at 01:05 PM

Very hard to get a picture that would really show them. I'm south of Frailes. The first ones I saw were about 8 inches long and had a black dot every inch or so, looked like frogs eggs. The latest ones are much smaller, about the size of a marble, and I haven't noticed any dots on them. I haven't gotten any stings from them and I'm in a kayak. 4 years fulltime and I've never seen them before. They pretty seem to disintegrate when they are out of the water. I just had to close the south window because of rain!

Here's a Link About Jellyfish

Gypsy Jan - 2-2-2010 at 02:24 PM

A scientific study conducted by the University of Minnesota.

I hope that it is useful to you.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00114894

Osprey - 2-2-2010 at 02:32 PM

Nope, thanks Jan but these are not jellyfish.

I Stand Corrected

Gypsy Jan - 2-2-2010 at 02:49 PM

Maybe this will help: http://csiro.au/news/Salps.html

Skipjack Joe - 2-2-2010 at 02:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by wessongroup



Magnificent creature. Looks like a night constellation.

Marinero - 2-2-2010 at 04:47 PM

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/inv...

This may not be the best site, but it is informative. You have to wait through a short commercial, but its worth it.