Newport Beach Bay Marine Life Inventory Event

       Being near the beach has always been a favorite location of mine. Last week I decided to do a volunteer Marine Life Inventory event at Newport Beach Bay in Newport, CA. Absolutely beautiful, changed my life forever. It gave me an inside look on how the world destructs our oceans, the help required to preserve the diversity of the organisms beneath the sea, and what a day in the life of a marine biologist is like.

       We completed a marine life inventory count, which means to basically determine how many thriving populations there are in the area. We checked all wild forms of life found within Newport Beach Bay's waters- such as baby Sting Rays, Halibut, Anchovies, and Sponges. It was so exciting to pet wild Sting Rays- not the tame ones found in zoos with no stingers. These were the real thing- alive and breathing, with venomous stingers that had the ability to strike as we measured the animals carefully. They're so soft! String Rays are definitely one of my favorite ocean organisms, they're very cute and surprisingly docile.

         The Halibut had fish parasites on their bodies-that was the only animal I did not touch- even if the parasites were non-transferable to humans.  Then of course, there are starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and other smaller forms of life to interact with. I thought sea urchins would be soft because I confused them with sea anemones- and I poked my finger as I attempted to touch the tip of its spiny needles haha.

      It feels so free, being by the sea: I felt like there was no need for technology and other human behaviors deemed normal nowadays. It was rather relaxing, for working with animals is stress-free and truly rewarding. One of the items collected was a Heineken bottle that had been tossed into the bay, in which it had multiple sea snails attached to it as an anchor. It made me realize how much trash finds its way into our water. It's not fair that humans get to enjoy man-made products then dispose of the evidence and let the ocean life deal with the harmful effects. Luckily the bay was remotely clean, in thanks to the amount of beach cleanups being done of a daily basis.

      The effects of chemicals on ocean life is devastating as well. Before the ban of DDT, animals would digest the mosquito-repellent through consuming other organisms (worked through the food chain) and all the oceanic predatory birds were producing  eggs with thin eggshells that would crack prematurely and cause the chicks to succumb to death. I have further changed my outlook on the use of chemicals due to learning of the negative results of DDT use- what is deemed FDA-approved can still wreck havoc within our oceans and in habitats elsewhere.It was a life-changing experience, interacting with animals found below the sea. I hope to return soon.