I notice fluorescent glowing in the dark: happens to be the tomcods I caught the other day.
Rockin Roy writes,
Out of curiosity, has anyone, experience, "glowing tomcods" in the dark, after few days of catching the fish? I, caught, some tomcods, around Old Chevak area and set a net, overnight and caught some tomcod fish. Yesterday, when I came back from boat riding, in the dark, I notice fluorescent glowing in the dark: happen to be the tomcods, I caught the other day. I have a friend, who told me a story, last week, he notices the same effect of the tomcods, glowing in the dark. How many years, ago, in the Qissunaq area; while boating, nighttime I would notice on the outside of the boat in the swell or wake, the sea water would be glowing as well. Could that possibly be occurring as a result of the small plankton species, I witnessed?
LEO says:
For more on Pacific Tomcod see Fishbase.org. There are some interesting recent reports about phosphorescent conditions in Northern marine waters. One reason is the novel emergence of pyrosomes in BC and Southeast Alaska. These are filter feeding invertebrates common to equatorial waters. Two articles are attached. A consult on the cause of glowing Tomcod is pending.
Resources:
Smithsonian – Six Ways to See Bioluminescence in the World’s Oceans, "Whether it's the winter dance of the Northern Lights or the summertime glow of fireflies, displays of natural light fascinate us, humans. Bioluminescence is the source of many such light shows in the wild—, especially in the ocean. Similar to when you crack a glow stick and shake it up, numerous marine animals, plants, and microbes emit bioluminescent light through a chemical reaction." By Emily Foster, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. June 9, 2015