Gunnel

Down in the Cove where the ferry comes in, is a beach at the end of a picnic field. It's still pretty wild, despite having a marina dropped into Snug Cove, and turning over rocks has its rewards.

Today we stood in the run off from the underground springs that feed the life in the little rock pools. Usual crabs (purple and green shore crabs), limpets, mussels, barnacles and springtails. But today we saw our first gunnels.

Gunnels are little fish that look like eels (that's what we thought they were at first). When they are small they can be found in tiny pools of water under rocks at low tide. They’re hard to catch, a little slippery and when you see one move there is no guarantee that you will ever see it again. They are masters of hiding in clear water in small pools.


posted by Chris at 1:07 PM | |