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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2017
Oregon Coast Aquarium issues ‘Blue tide’ warning along coast
Most of us have heard of
“red tides,” those unusually
dense blooms of marine algae
that stain nearshore waters a
brownish red and can be toxic
to wildlife and humans.
But what about a “blue tide,”
when beaches are strewn with
an aquamarine layer of jelly-
like organisms in spring?
These are the innumerable
bodies
of
“by-the-wind
sailors,” and their strandings
are a regular yet fascinating
phenomenon in coastal Oregon.
Ranging in size from a few
millimeters across to seven
centimeters, these brilliant blue
and purple animals, known for-
mally as Velella, are common
offshore visitors to the Pacific
coast.
While they might sometimes
wash up on our beaches in
alarming quantities, this “blue
tide” poses far less of a risk to
animals and people than the red
variety.
The common name of these
gelatinous creatures — “by-
the-wind sailor” — refers to the
clear, triangular sail at the top
of the animal’s body which
catches the wind and propels it
across the surface.
Short tentacles hang from the
underside of the sail. Found in
all the world’s oceans, these
animals have no independent
form of movement and will
drift at the whim of the breeze.
Their bodies have evolved to
capitalize on prevailing winds,
which differ depending on sea-
son and locality.
On our side of the North
Pacific, the sails of Velella are
set in a northwest-to-southeast
direction, to take advantage of
regional wind patterns. On the
other side of the North Pacific,
the sails are set in a northeast-
to-southwest direction—and in
the Southern Hemisphere, the
sails are reversed.
With gentle winds, Velella
sail at about a 45-degree angle
in front of the wind, aiming
always to be blown away from
shore.
Despite Velella’s simple yet
effective sail, heavier winds
during the spring and summer
months may nevertheless cause
mass strandings of these ani-
mals.
During such conditions, it
isn’t uncommon to see miles
and miles of Oregon beach car-
peted with stinking heaps of
Velella, which quickly die and
decay on shore, turning from a
metallic blue to a lifeless white.
By-the-wind sailors feed
mainly on plankton drifting
near the ocean’s surface. They
capture these tiny animals by
stinging them with barb-tipped
cells contained within their ten-
tacles.
Their venom is considered
harmless to human beings, but
beachcombers are cautioned
not to touch any jellies or jelly-
like animals found washed up
on shore, as some may react
more strongly to the venom
than others.
Other, more dangerous jel-
lies might also be mixed in with
Velella.
Although originally classi-
fied as a jelly, current research
suggests that by-the-wind
sailors are actually a unique
species of large hydrozoan, a
class of predatory animals dis-
tantly related to corals, sea
anemones and jellies, which
live mostly in salt water.
Spring Chinook season reopens along lower Columbia
Recreational anglers will get
an additional nine days of
spring Chinook fishing on the
lower Columbia River under
rules adopted today by fishery
managers from Oregon and
Washington.
Under the rules adopted dur-
ing a joint state hearing,
anglers will be allowed to
retain Chinook during two fish-
ing periods.
The first period began
Thursday, April 13, and contin-
ues through Monday, April 17.
A second fishing period is
set for Thursday, April 20
through Sunday April, 23.
The effective area is from
Buoy 10 upstream to Beacon
Rock for both boat and bank
anglers, and bank angling only
from Beacon Rock upstream to
the Bonneville Dam deadline.
The closure area near the
mouth of the Lewis River
remains in effect.
This is the second time this
year fishery managers have
extended the season, citing
continued poor fishing condi-
tions and low catch rates in
making their decision.
The daily bag limit is two
adult salmonids per day, but
only one may be a Chinook.
Only adipose fin-clipped fish
may be kept. All other perma-
nent regulations apply.
Anglers are reminded that
under previously adopted rules,
retention of adipose fin-clipped
steelhead from Buoy 10 to the
Highway 395 Bridge (Pasco,
Wash.) and shad from Buoy 10
to Bonneville Dam is allowed
only during the same days and
in areas open for retention of
adipose fin-clipped spring
Chinook.
Managers will continue to
monitor the returns and catch
rates, and plan to meet again on
Wednesday, April 19 to evalu-
ate ongoing fisheries.
For more information, visit
ODFW’s Columbia Zone
Regulations Update Page at
www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/
fishing/reg_changes/columbia
.asp.
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