HMSC Fish Health Workshop July 2017 Pics

[badxgillen]

Well folks, it was an amazing workshop provided by the fine folks at the Hatfield Marine Science Center yesterday. I procedures performed were both engaging and informative while at the same time very entertaining. Sid and his assistant Mallory did an amazing job in their diagnostic procedures and shared much of the nitty gritty that goes on in a routine fish anesthesia and examination.

I suppose that I should back up just a bit and mention a few things about the day before hand.

As most of you know it has been rather hot lately but here at the Newport coast it was a mild 70 degrees with not a cloud in the sky.

It was also nice to have the majority of the area to ourselves at first. Not too many people had arrived yet so it appeared we had beat the crowds.

Here we are, back at the good ole Hatfield Marine Science Center. I am starting to have very good memories from attending the PNWMAS meets and getting to meet some of the good people behind making it the special place it is.

Lets take a peek inside..

Right after the front desk and greeted by the overtly talkative old timer you get a visual overload of things to look at first of which is the tide pool replica touch systems that are full of colorful wild inverts of all shapes, sizes,  and colors.

In these pics I only captured a couple anemones and urchins but there was several mollusks such as muscles and snails as well as a Huge sea cucumber of sorts that had to be as big as my fore arm.

Lots of educational displays to accommodate the the many aquariums, bones/fossils, replicas, and interactive demos. Looks like Albertareef and Jeremyeveans found the tropical reef area.

Can't leave without taking a look at the tank with the PNWMAS corals.

The devils hand and the Plerogyra is going into beast mode. I kinda wanted to ask about a frag of the table acro in the center but I had nothing on me to trade, maybe next time. The Capricornus also had an interesting growth pattern to it, some big colonies in there now.

The majority of the aquariums are temperate/coldwater tanks that house all types of fish and invertebrates.

In addition to the tropical and cold water systems there are a few fresh water things going on too.

All with their own educational or artistic value. There was even a new Rio Negro south american tank on display full of discus, pencil fish, and nice rummy nose & cardinal tetras. 

and for those of you who have not visited the HMSC before or it has been a little while make sure you do. The pictures provided by myself and others do not do justice to the facilities well kept aquariums livesstock and the educational interativities...Okay Okay, I will get to the demo.

This year was very different from the usual behind the scenes tours we have had in the past at HMSC. Right off the bat we were diverted into the west wing of the science center and into the animal health area containing a quarantine and treatment facility made for housing various marine specimens both tropical and cold water. There are very large pump buildings that pull water from out the Newport coast here and bring it through plumbing into the various holding tanks for efficient clean salt water on demand.

You probably all know Sid from the Hatfield Marine Science Center, AKA Intothemystic, and introducing his assistant Mallory.

 

 

 

[badxgillen]

Waiting for us in the "west wing" were a few specimens getting ready for the procedures about to take place. in the large green holding tank were two different types of rock fish being held in the blue totes.

The totes not only facilitates holding the specimens but also allows for having a controlled amount of water for the anesthesia dosing. Mentioning there would be a change in water conditions from the Tricaine Sid began adding sodium bicarbonate to the sedative to compensates the PH drop.He explained how it is the same base dosage for the volume of water but can be increased depending on different species tolerances of the sedative and the bicarbonate changed for more acidic conditions.

Carefully watching the respiration of the fishes gills he was able to determine that these fish were infarct ready to be handled for the health examination. 

After running through the basics of handling the fish and how to properly check the pertinent areas of the fish and gills we got to glove up and dive in...Not literally but we did get the opportunity to give the fish a pretty thorough examination, which actually led to finding some leeches. Mallory had the delightful job of plucking them from the fishes fins and even gills.

Alberareef giving this fish a second glance over, it seemed there was some leeches attached to the gills here.

 

There were some skin scrapings taken and a tiny gill snip both of which were thrown onto a microscope slide for us all to see.

A bit of slime coat with a small scale,

and a gill cutting looks healthy,

...So does this leech here.

Waking the animals form the sedative was as simple as adding fresh clean salt water slowly back into the bins and this allowed them to "revive" and get their bearings.

Next up was a real treat!

[badxgillen]

Sid had a good sized wolf eel getting sedated for us! This was quite the treat as these are amazing animals that few people will get close to in their life times.

This fish is WICKED!!!

Once under the drugs influence Sid was able to get hand on and examine the eels health without jeopardizing a hand or chunk of flesh, he needs those fingers.

A closer look into the maw, sharp nasty front teeth and then the back row of "crushing" teeth. Evolution has built this fish into a fine predator of the sea.

Sid points out some abrasions on the side of our smooth skinned friend here and thinks it may have just been caused by "flashing" against the sides of something abrasive.

After some gill inspection he finds some parasites, see that long stringy guy hanging off the tissue,leaches.

Time for some more microscope slides to do a proper checkup and diagnosis.

We were also fortunate enough to see the two here perform a feeding tube and deliver the contents tot he eels stomach all without incident. Several legit medical procedures were demonstrated and taught to our group, it was like taking an aquatics vet tech class with a couple very cool cats. I took away so much knowledge in one hour i makes me very grateful to have attended, and the wolf eel makes it something I will probably never forget.

Woops, this last one just kinda slipped in there, but it was of some cool looking rays so I will just leave i there for now. These guys came right p to the water surface almost trained for feeding time. Not shy at all.

[badxgillen]

After the workshop was finished we all headed out to the courtyard adjacent to the west wing building and proceeded to mingle and have our BBQ.

UH OH, The fish talk is ON! Looks like I am going to have another geek out! But as you all know sometimes I cannot help myself.

Danlu on the left, Intothemystic in the middle, and Sirena on the right.

Jeremyevens and Albertareef playing it cool in the shade. 

 

These two were great helps to Sid and the days events, sometimes I forget that there are other people behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly. Thanks for hanging with us and being a helping hand, looks like the animals here are in good hands.

Look at this little guy, great place to give the tiny person some future incentives...Marine Biology anyone?

And speaking of little guys, look who else came for the fish health workshop! Pay attention now and you will be an ace with aquariums by the time your our age.

Had to post this one too. First students here starting early, cute right?

Our president Emerald here, wouldn't be a party without you...Did I say party? I meant "Meeting".

 Blue sky, blue hair, and blue scales. Flashyfins is another social butterfly who always has something to add to the group conversation. 

Kim put also went out of her way to snag a killer prize for this meeting, a digital Milwaukee refractometer.

And look who our winner was for the raffle, Danlu! We all had an even chance for winning on this one since there was no buy in, only a ticket for attending and a ticket for being a member. Talk about some fair and even odds.

[badxgillen]

A big thank you to Sid and the Hatfield Marine Science Center for having the PNWMAS club out to the facility. It is thoroughly enjoyed by us and much appreciated, we know it is not easy being in your shoes. Keep up the good work yeah.

Thank You Emerald, for taking the lead on so many things in the club, I just thought I should remind you that you are doing a fine job as acting club president and I also appreciate that.

Thank You Sirena for taking the time once again to prep up some fine foods and appetizers and being so helpful towards the club. It does not go unnoticed.

Thank You Miles, Mr Bret, Chief, Clark, Gill&Fins, KKnight, FlashyFIns, Albertareef, Lexinverts, Cuttlfish, And Zoolander for taking on the job of working behind the scenes to make this club the awesome place it is. 

I know I have said it a few times before but that means no harm in saying it again, Ya'll at PNWMAS ROCK!!!

[Flashy Fins]

Woohoo! I always love seeing your pictures after our meetings, Robert.

Great time had by all, and @IntoTheMystic deserves extra special thanks for always being such a fantastic host and putting together interesting and educational tours for us. Looking down the throat of that wolf eel was quite the experience! It was wonderful getting to know our friend Sid on a personal level this time, thanks to the BBQ. Lovely chatting with you!

@Sirena, you were a pro with that setup, wheeling in coolers of food, cooking up the meal, and packing it all back up at the end like it was a simple picnic basket.

Props to @Emerald525 for not catching anything on fire that she shouldn't.  Who knew she had such a pyromaniac side to her? 

Fabulous group of people we have here, and I'm glad to be a part of it. 

[albertareef]

Thanks for the excellent recap and photos Bert - almost as much fun as being there!  Fantastic job by Sid and Mallory sowing us the ropes and answering lots and lots of questions. Really interesting and enlightening. It's one thing to read about such procedures but a whole other level to see them and take part. Thanks HMSC folk!

Also a big shout out to Sirena and Kim for taking care of us with food and prizes. Greatly appreciate all the work you guys put into the club. Fortunately we left the facility intact after our BBQ- looked a bit dicey for a while as Kim got the grilled "fired" up in no uncertain terms. Now we know why Sirena prefers to cook over gas! ?

[Sirena]

It was definitely a fun filled day!  So sad that I had stupid work stuff that got us there late ?  However the chatting it up with such a great group of people over a ? I mean BBQ ? Was fun!! I always enjoy chatting with everyone.  

Thank you Sid for being such an amazing down to earth... totally hysterical host ?  And for the great recommendation for seafood. We had a little there and for some to cook at home. Right off the boat and taaaaasty!! 

 

[Emerald525]

Bert love your pictures thanks for sharing. I'm bummed we had to come later and I missed the wolf eel but Sid said he would do it again next year. I always wanted to be a vet but decided to "settle" and take care of the "human" animals.

And yes I love fire !! I had it all under control !!

Newport is one of my favorite beach areas in Oregon and Hatfield is a nice place with a nice location. I will try to have it in June next year so more people can come and give more notice.

Sid also gave a very good recommendation for food called Local Ocean! They had seafood right off the pier and was so fresh the clams were still alive! Soooo good!!

Had a great time !!

Thanks Sean for finding me too as we came late!

We have a good group here!

[albertareef]

Local Ocran is awesome - glad you found that per Sid's recommendation. We almost always stop in when we are there but can get really busy!

[Emerald525]

1 hour ago, albertareef said:

Local Ocran is awesome - glad you found that per Sid's recommendation. We almost always stop in when we are there but can get really busy!

I can imagine we went around 4 pm and it was busy but got seated right away. Great place!

[spectra]

2 hours ago, Sirena said:

It was definitely a fun filled day!  So sad that I had stupid work stuff that got us there late ?  However the chatting it up with such a great group of people over a ? I mean BBQ ? Was fun!! I always enjoy chatting with everyone.  

Thank you Sid for being such an amazing down to earth... totally hysterical host ?  And for the great recommendation for seafood. We had a little there and for some to cook at home. Right off the boat and taaaaasty!! 

 

 

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM shrimp and clams  tasty  

 

Meeting looked like a great time and I was actually trying to hit this one but forgot the date

[Stugots]

Nice recap!  Wish I could've made it. Hope to see you all at the next one. Congrats @danlu_gt!!

[danlu_gt]

Looks great!  We'll have to try Local Ocean next time!!

Here are a few pics I got:

 

[albertareef]

Thanks for posting those Daniel!  Glad to see Bert actually make it into a pic since he is always behind the camera 

[MrsBret]

Looks like so much fun!  I miss the beach!  Thanks for all the awesome pics!

[IntoTheMystic]

On 7/23/2017 at 4:31 PM, Sirena said:

 

Now that there is a serious grilling throwdown. Looks like Local Ocean met with your approval. You just can't go wrong in that joint.

 

Folks,

It was a real pleasure for us to host you guys and work up a few animals. That's right in the wheelhouse of the Aquatic Animal Health Program, as we are all about sharing what we know and the best ways to care for and proactively maintain the health of our aquatic critters. We had a lot of fun and you guys asked some very intuitive questions. I'm already planning next year's meeting. Not sure whether or not I'll have a Wolf Eel about that needs to be fed but it's very likely I'll have something new to add to the mix. I always have at least a half-dozen or more cases working in Hospital/Quarantine.

Was great to reconnect with some familiar faces and meet some new ones, including a coupla larval members. It's not easy for me to get over to the valley or up to PDX on Saturday afternoons but I'm going to make a real effort to get to more monthly meetings in the future. Y'all are just too cool and it's waaaay too much fun talking fish and inverts with you. Thanks again for coming!

Sid