Cover
& Introduction

Sanctuary Program
Accomplishments

Beach & Coastal
Systems

Rocky Intertidal
& Subtidal Systems

Open Ocean
& Deep Water
Systems

The Physical
Environment

Wetlands
& Watersheds

Endangered
& Threatened
Species

Marine Mammals

Bird Populations

Harvested
Species

Human
Interactions

Site Profile:
The Montebello

Credits

Photo by Robert Schwemmer/NOAA

On an island and at a time not so far away, I once had the pleasure of doing field biology work. On and off for several years in graduate school, I studied black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) on Santa Cruz Island off Santa Barbara. For years, I also participated in many other research projects conducted by colleagues. I've never lost a personal interest in field biology and still find it one of the most rewarding activities I've done.

This edition of Ecosystem Observations provides me, personally -- and you too, I hope -- with the opportunity to experience the rewards of field biology work vicariously. That's not to say field work is easy, because it's not. It means climbing over stinky dead whales; queasy hours spent offshore in rough, windy conditions; or pulling on a cold wetsuit to wade into tidepools with the evening fog rolling in.

My personal curiosity of all things abalone is whetted a bit in the article inside about human impacts in the rocky intertidal. While kayaking in Monterey Bay several years ago, I began to wonder many things about the plethora of jellies in the bay: Where do they come from? How do they all get here together? Some answers to this, too, are inside. If I ever win the lottery, I'd volunteer to be a field biologist and join Scott Benson to study, and I hope save, leatherback turtles. There's hopeful news in this edition about this reptile, one of the most impressive large organisms on this planet.

I get so much out of these and all the other stories from our field biologist colleagues. Their contributions to Ecosystem Observations -- the fruits of the many challenges involved in conducting field work -- are inspiring to us all.

William J. Douros, Superintendent
NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

		A PDF version of this report is available here: ecoobs2005.pdf (1.5 MB)