Essex Technical High School

This week an eager group of  grade 11 students from Massachusetts arrived on campus for a marine biology field course. Throughout the week the students collected specimens from the bay while aboard our research vessel, explored rocky and soft sediment intertidal zones, studied their finds in the lab, conducted experiments with barnacles and echinoderms, toured the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium, rode a ferry in the Bay of Fundy, visited a lobster pound and hiked to two lighthouses.

Here are some of the pictures from our excursions this week.  Also, there is a cool video of a clam worm on the Huntsman Education Department twitter account.

Great day to explore the shore!

Found a beautiful brittle star.

There was a negative tide so the students had lots to explore...

they even found a lobster!

The students identified over 30 organisms from their exploration of the rocky intertidal zone.

Heading out on the Fundy Spray.

The captain emptying the benthic drag.

Learning about the animals from the bottom of the bay.

Notice the three fixed fingers on the claw of this crab.

The phytoplankton is blooming!

Buckets and shovels to explore the muddy beach.

Got to see the clam worms spawning!

Live sand dollars.

Blood worm.

Outside is our classroom.

Gathering data on the invasive green crabs.

Studying the worms in the lab.

Testing how temperature effects the feeding rate of barnacles.

At Green's Point Lighthouse watching the strong tidal currents.

Riding the Deer Island ferry in the Bay of Fundy.

Visiting a lobster pound.

The staff at the pound were sorting and grading the lobsters.

This one was 15 lbs!

Lunch overlooking islands in the Bay of Fundy.

Picnic at Pea Point Lighthouse.

Saw the Grand Manan ferry from our lunch spot.

Studying if size effects the flipping rate of echinoderms.

Sea stars are so flexible!