Anyone have any thoughts on how to harvest copepods locally? I’ve heard of people using layers of screens, and I kno wif you get a chunk of seaweed, there are usually a bunch in there. Just curious if anyone has any other ideas (how to harvest, where to look for high concentrations) on harvesting these bugs at the beach.
Supposedly if you hit a high flow inlet when the tide is rushing in, you can scoop up a lot. I never had much luck though and I was using really expensive plankton nets. We ended up raising artemia and stealing some pods from the people studying plankton. Bellamy will likely have more insight.
This is on a bit of a whim, but I would think that the differences in species between reef copepods and any related species up here would be like comparing local snails to tropic ect ect, cold waters vs warm waters, plankton densities or what ever. obviously the conditions are vastly different or we’d have coral reefs at our door steps, would it be wise to try to collect anything from the local waters for your tropic tank?
I’ve read that there are @ 12,000 known species of copepod. As long as they are tasty, I don’t care which one I get. ;D
Not sure on copepods, but I know you can get “feeder” grass shrimp at low tide at just about any beach. Just pick through the rocks/algae in the tide pools at low tide and you can find TONS of them. I have seen some copepods there before, but I’m not sure on what is the best way to collect them.
i read somewhere that if you leave a rope affixed to some type of structure in one of the local bays; it will attract and provide habitat to different species of zooplankton.
lewes beach mid summer help yourself… a fine mesh bag and a bucket and your set. but be warry of other unwanted pest you might collect. as you know joe, my kids bring home sand fleas all summer long. last summer i collected pods like crazy but never had luck with getting them home alive.
Well, we have been kicking around the idea of “A Day At The Beach”, in lewes or cape henlopen park to net strange and interesting life forms for a couple years. Our friend Walt, has some nets, billrob and martin have collected some stuff on their own. Why dont we give it a group try this summer. sorta of a group picnic scavenger hunt. and see what we can get. of course we have discussed the need of fishing licenses and stuff.
Salt water fishing was always free, but i believe as of 2009 you need a licence for shore fishing in DE, unless you have the off roading licence than it is included in that fee.
this is a true statment
surf tag fee $65
boat fishing licence $50
tag on boat trailer $ 52
Day at beach with family and boating PRICELESS
If you guy want copepods or grass shrimp i scape them off the bottom of my boat i all so use xmas trees at the dock and let them soak over night .Then the next day i lay out a tarp pull the tree up and slam the stump end on the tarp and i get about 3 gallons of grass shrimp and copepods