The cryptic and the deep

I, like so very few marine biologists, like looking for small cryptic (secretive and/or camouflaged) fish and often go deep to find them. Over the course of 41 dives so far in Guam, I have seen numerous species which had not previously been seen in the park. We are currently working on setting up a full species list for the park which we can then publish as a technical report. The old list had around 150 species. So far we have 302 species listed! While some of the old lists have questionable IDs, our list even has voucher photos of most of the species. Some of these fish are small and cryptic fish and others were seen when Mark and I went and did a technical dive to 200 feet on our day off. Below is a sampling of some of our cool cryptic and deepwater fish we have seen as well as a few fun invertebrates.Clearfin lionfish- a relatively commonly seen cryptic fishLeopard blennyCoral banded shrimp- a type of shrimp which makes its living cleaning the parasites and dead tissue off reef fish papuan scorpionfish- close-up of the same fish as the top photo. Deepwater seafan of a wall at 200' Engleman's lizardfish Spotfin lionfish- no the picture is not upside down, this fish like many cave dwellers, spends much of its day upside down next to the cave/ crevice ceiling. In this case defended by their venomous spines Reef octopus Yellow cardinalfish Mark- narqed and excited about being at 200' Yellow-speckled chromisAnd finally, my favorite find so far, a surge dottyback. This fish was found in about 7 feet of water inside a small cave in the reef.

Update from another territory

I was invited to do some work at War in the Pacific National Historic Park (WAPA). So here I am sitting in Guam. Guam at first glance is more like Oahu, HI than some of the other territories. The bustling Japanese tourist market ensures that much of the ills that plague smaller Pacific islands is absent, or at least hidden from view. Large high-rise hotels, high-end retail stores (Gucci, Rolex, etc.), and an overwhelming numbers of restaurant choices are all easy to find. Don't forget the strip clubs, adult stores and massage parlors (that seem to be everywhere).

I have mostly been diving though and have really gotten a good look at the marine waters of the national park. It is well known that Guam is neck and neck with Oahu in having the worst fishing anywhere in the Pacific. It is readily apparent as soon as you hit the water here. Not only are there very few fish, entirely absent trophic groups (apex predators), but what fish are here are tiny for their kind. With all that said, there are some good spots and I have seen some great things. Below for your viewing pleasure take in some of the marine life of Guam.

Ambon damsel

Barred thicklip Mixed school of Yellow tangs and Lined bristletooths Bullethead parrotfish- female Tiger cardinalfish Christmas tree worm in coral Slingjaw wrasse Crown-of-thorns seastar. These are the starfish that can sometimes reach plague numbers and devastate reefs as they eat live stony corals. Oh, and they are venomous. Big school of scribbled rabbitfish on the reef flat Well it's not called War in the Pacific National Park for nothing. This 8" shell cartridge from a howitzer was found on a dive called UXO reef. UXO stands for unexploded ordinance. While this shell is just the spent empty casing, there are many live rounds of various shapes and sizes found on top of this reef. Yet another reason never to touch anything underwater. Fire dartfish Latticed sandperch Lined bristletooth- Fun fact for the day... these fish eat other fishes poop. Saber squirrelfish Longnose butterflyfish And finally here's your clownfish, this one is an orangefin clownfish.