My Time as an Intern Inside Bodega Marine Laboratory

I am a student at Santa Rosa Junior College studying Environmental Studies with an interest in studying biology upon transferring to CSU. My pastimes include macro photography and finding new organisms to photograph.

As a summer intern at UC Davis- Bodega Marine Laboratory, my position was in the Abalone Culture Lab where I was introduced to White and Red Abalone. I was fascinated to learn that abalone are giant marine snails and are not entirely encased in a shell like that of an oyster as I had originally thought; rather their flesh is exposed beneath their shell. 

When encouraged to hold one, my curiosity for the species grew. I learned that they grip on rocky surfaces with their muscles, referred to as their foot. Their foot allows them to move around and forage for food whereas their tentacles allow them to sense what is around them. If they sense a disturbance they will use their foot to securely suction themselves onto surfaces and retract their tentacles.

As my time progressed inside the White Abalone Culture (WAC) Lab, I was intrigued to learn how abalone reproduce. As broadcast spawners, abalone release their gametes (eggs and sperm) into the water where their reproductive cells then fertilize, but for this to be successful, the abalone must be near each other. However, having white abalone reproduce in the wild is nearly impossible due to the overharvesting in the 70’s that resulted in the reproductive isolation of the abalone. In addition, in 2002, a deadly bacteria wiped out the majority of white abalone populations in captivity. These are some of the reasons why the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program exists. In short, in the lab white abalone are spawned by placing the abalone into a bucket of seawater with a splash of hydrogen peroxide to induce spawning. 

Inside the WAC lab, I was also trained how to properly clean the troughs the abalone resided in and followed lab safety protocol to prevent the spread of Candidatus Xenochaliotis Californiensis, the bacteria that causes Withering syndrome. The bacteria is spread from the abalone’s fecal matter, where it infects the abalone’s digestive organs causing the abalone to digest their foot. You will notice when an abalone is sick because it will have a shrunken foot, whereas a healthy abalone will have a much fuller foot.

Finally, the White Abalone Team and I experimented to see if we could entice the abalone into eating more dulse and diatoms by confining all the ingredients into a kelp-jello concoction. The main purpose behind this experiment is to get the abalone to eat more dulse and diatoms because it provides the abalone with an additional source of nutrients and the consumption of dulse is associated with their growth which could lead to more successful spawning events. While still an ongoing experiment, we had a positive first attempt experimenting with red abalone eating their jello.

Insights/Conclusion:

My time at BML is an experience I will cherish as I advance in my education. Being allowed the opportunity to be an intern here has been one of the most amazing experiences I have gotten to be a part of and the staff at BML were also just as wonderful. This experience has also made me more curious about the critters in our ocean, motivating me to delve more into ocean conservation.

Sources: 

White Abalone

Science Notes 2013: At a Snail's Pace

https://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/06future/abintro.htm