Well maybe not everywhere but definitely out on Jeffrey's Ledge! Managing to squeeze a whale watch out in between the wind and rain this weekend we found the Ledge a very active place. A basking shark and a humpback whale in close proximity of each other was enough for us to ponder just how productive this particular region of Jeffrey's was. Just as our friends aboard the Atlantic Queen mentioned, we too did a plankton tow and came up with a net full of plankton! Our cup of plankton was a hit around the boat, which mainly consisted of tiny animals known as copeopods, and was a great visual aid to discuss the food chain out in the ocean. Did you know that the word plankton, when translated from Greek, means "to drift?" That's right. One thing that all plankton have in common is that they cannot swim. Now some of you might be thinking. . . wait a minute I saw the copeopods moving around in that cup. . . and that's right! While some plankton can move on their own all plankton are incapable of moving against any currents or waves brought on by the ocean water. Therefore, these critters end up drifting around in the ocean because they are not "strong" enough to escape the force of the currents. Pretty interesting stuff, huh? To find out more fun facts about the ocean and the critters living in it go out on a local whale watch. Hope to see you out there!
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