BioBlitz at Pelican Cove

Get details for 2017's bioblitz on June 30 HERE.
 

June 8, 2016

We marked World Oceans Day with a bioblitz at the Pelican Cove marine protected area (MPA) in Palos Verdes. The event was part of a statewide effort to document our coastal biodiversity. A series of bioblitzes were held up and down the California Coast, focusing on intertidal zones in MPAs. 30 volunteers participated in the Pelican Cove event, which was organized by USC Sea Grant, the Aquarium of the Pacific, LA Waterkeeper and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Volunteers were trained on what species they may find in tidal pools, how to conduct transect surveys, and how to upload images and descriptions of species into the iNaturalist database. For your own guide of Southern California tide pool organisims, click here. To learn how to participate with iNaturalist, click here. Photos of the bioblitz are below!

The goal of the bioblitz was to document as many species as possible. Of particular interest was a handful of species indentified by scientists - including those that are affected by emerging diseases, invasive species, species with limited data on their ranges, or species whose ranges are affected by changing oceanic conditions and habitat modification. Examples include seastars, seaweeds, barnacles, lobsters, and mussels. 

Volunteers at Pelican Cove saw a wide variety of species including ochre seastars, cone snails, sea hares, rock lice, and a high diversity of algae. For some volunteers, it was their first time at Pelican Cove; for one volunteer - his first time at a tidepool. We are grateful for everyone's participation and look forward to more bioblitzes in the future!