Seals,
crepidulas, and a fish sandwich
So,
there are too many stories to tell about during my experience in an Island in
the North Sea of Germany, Sylt. I stayed
there for 10 days, to attend lectures and also field work (part of my master
program).
Classes
and lab work was carried out at Wadden Sea Station, the Alfred Wegener
Institute (AWI). A comfortable and
pleasant station, located at the interface between the North Sea and Wadden
Sea.
The
first days, we sampled algae in the shore, exposed to rain and wind.
Fucus, Ulva, Polysiphonia and a couple more were collected. We also saw sea mice, chitons, bivalves,
crabs and snails.
We also
were abroad a vessel from the AWI, to collect some animals for the Aquatic
Fauna class, we did it by dragging. We
found different organisms, such as: tunicates, shrimps, hermit crabs, fishes,
different types of snails…..but the most representative was the famous Crepidula fornicata. I have to say that at least more than 50% of
the dragged samples were Crepidula.
C. fornicata is an invasive species, or let’s say a
potential invasive species which was introduced from the North Atlantic to
Europe, with the eastern oyster Crassostrea
virginica.
Also, on
the way to collect those specimens we were lucky to find seals. It was the
first time for me to see those animals in their natural environment, how
amazing!
In
between we had the opportunity to take a long walk in one of the beaches of the
island, beautiful but cold. Only courageous people bathed there (a friend of
mine).
In Sylt,
you can also find a small market to get different things, such as souvenirs,
candies, clothes, and of course a delicious fish sandwich. I ate two; I couldn’t miss the opportunity to
try one of those.
Further
information:
about C. fornicata
about
AWI
That sounds great! Especially the part of using a ship not only to travel from one place to the other but to work with! :)
ReplyDeleteI whish you a lot of in the next 1 3/4 years in Bremen ;)