Re[2]: Why oh why?/MD Pelagics

GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Fri, 18 Sep 1998 11:31:42 -0400 

Howdy all!

     I'll also offer my two bits here on the Lewes, DE pelagic.
Be forwarned, this is only my opinion <grin>.  Mark Hoffman and
George Jett are correct about the number of species that are *reliable* at
Baltimore Canyon this time of year.  Mark is on the money about the warm
water eddies from the Gulf Stream, too.
This is an important ingredient in the mix to increase your
chances for more seabirds.

     The Gulf Stream is roughly like a big river of warmer water flowing
North along the East Coast.  Winds and ocean currents can
alter the flow significantly.  The Stream is generally closest to
the Coast from the Outer Banks.  It can be 10 miles from shore,
or it can be 70 miles from shore.  Baltimore Canyon is about 60
miles offshore and reaches the continental shelf, but does not
always reach the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

     Last Friday night I noted the temperatures up and down the
coast on a map I consult on the internet.  There were two pockets
of cold water.  One just off Delaware Bay waters (72 F) and one
just off Virginia Beach (73 F).  These represented the coldest
water pockets from the Outer Banks to Long Island.  So what was
the difference in our trips?

     The waters due East of MD/DE remained relatively cool (at 60
miles out, we were still in 73-degree water).  Looking at the
Virginia waters, the map showed a sharp increase in water
temperature to nearly 80 F in the same amount of distance. (I did
not verify this with anyone on the Virginia trip--I'm only going
on information I found on the internet).  Often, this sharp line
of water temperature increase is where you find the best food
sources near the surface.  As the warmer waters meet the cooler
temps, the warm water swirls upward, bringing up nutrient-rich
waters with it.

     There are many other factors, too.  On land we look in
specific habitats for birds.  Birds pay attention to habitat
(food sources) in the sea, too, but it's much harder for us to
identify specific habitat there.  Additionally, the habitat in
the sea is dynamic--it moves.  The same water where a
White-tailed Tropicbird was found in the Gulf Stream today may be
100 miles North of that location in a day or two (and who knows
where the bird went?).  While you're in one location, the habitat
is constantly changing underneath you.

     It's a wild place and unpredictable.  It makes for real
adventure.  Sometimes you totally whif.  Sometimes you strike it
rich.  Not knowing is part of the fun.  Knowing you can easily
strike out is part of the gamble, too.  I'd rather take my
chances on the water, however, than wondering what I might have
missed while staying at home <grin>.

ok.  I'm off my soapbox...

-Greg Miller
Lusby, MD