tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510056950479922035.post8512614781457671893..comments2023-10-25T01:54:52.399-07:00Comments on Washington Department of Ecology: Eyes Under Puget Sound: Critter of the Month – The Orange Sea Pen WA Department of Ecologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211353558094402510noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510056950479922035.post-14692401186733135332017-09-21T18:29:25.473-07:002017-09-21T18:29:25.473-07:00Are you aware that Ptilosarcus populations along t...Are you aware that Ptilosarcus populations along the east shore of Central Puget Sound (Tacoma to Everett) suffered a severe decline starting in the early 1980s? Birkeland (1974) documented extensive dense populations of Ptilosarcus, but just a decade, more or less, later, most of the populations that he used in his studies were completely missing. These populations have not recovered. While Ptilosarcus is still common in South Puget Sound and obviously around Whidbey Island, the "yellow ring" around Central Puget Sound is just history.<br />I presented a poster, "Vacant Habitats", on this phenomenon at a Pacific Estuarine Research Society several years ago because I had worked as a volunteer research diver with Charles Birkeland in 1967-1970 studying Ptilosarcus. <br />By-the-way, Birkeland's studies are the only ecological work on sea pens ever published anywhere.<br />Cheers, Michael Kyte, Marine Biologist (semi-retired).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12516174595107699911noreply@blogger.com