Many of the findings were actually native to the area, yet still rare and exciting to find in just one Jamaica Bay seining excursion. Among those were the following:

Silver Side Fish, a common fish caught commercially and considered low, but vital, on the food chain; Glass Shrimp, these shrimp’s organs can be seen through their clear body; Sea Robins, known as scavengers or garbage collectors because they survive from eating trash found on the sea floor; Pipe Fish, related to the sea horse they also use their “snout” to inhale their food; Calico Crabs, these have a calico pattern and flippers used to swim; Toad Fish, often found in the Hudson river, toad fish are also scavengers sometimes called “opportunistic eaters;” Bergal Fish, competition with the black fish but set apart by their bright green scales; and finally a Sea Horse, which has a slightly bigger mouth than the pipe fish to consumer larger organisms.

Another species found in the net was an Asian Shore crab. These crabs are foreign, but not from the Gulf. They are actually from Asia, and considered an invasive species. Mickey explained to the group that sometimes new species are brought on ships to new areas of the world, where they reproduce and typically harm the eco-system of the area. These Asian shore crabs eat the eggs of fish in the North Atlantic, and are considered damaging and un-welcomed.