More fun and cagery

When we did our first few dives at Baltra, I set up a single cage for my Pentaceraster starfish as a test to see if (1) the cage would hold up against the current/surge; and (2) if the cage would keep my Pentaceraster enclosed. We visited the site again on the final day of the research cruise, and I was very glad to see that the answer was yes on both counts (with n=1, but I'm okay with that...)

One week later: Inti from the Darwin Station examines my still-caged Pentaceraster.

Now that I know this kind of cage can work as an enclosure/exclosure, I'm going ahead and scaling up cage production in preparation for deployment next week. The test cage had a diameter of 0.5 m, which is a little small for a Pentceraster that can have an arm radius of ~20 cm. The new cages are 1 m in diameter, and I am constructing them from old caging material previously used to enclose sea urchins (yay for recycling old and fouled research gear). I have been working with wire cutters and cage wire and lots and lots of cable ties over the past 3 days.

Fun with cages. About 10 minutes after this picture was taken I switched to actually wearing work gloves.

I also made a few friends, and learnt that baby marine iguanas are small enough to fit through the holes of my cages.

This little guy came by and visited me several times.

Any kind of tedious and/or repetitive job needs a work song, so here is my cage building song:

I've Been Making Starfish Cages
(to the tune of "I've Been Working On the Railroad")
I've been making starfish cages
For hours every day
I've been making starfish cages
And the time just slips away
Hope my predator inclusions
Show me interaction strengths
Hope my starfish cages weather
The storms and surge and waves!