Sunday, April 13, 2014


Anyone know what this critter is? The one Gage is holding? This is why some people don't put their shrimp pots out anymore. Alec Bennett and the Shrimp Boat crew provided this lovely example.


Does this give you a clue to the critter's identity? No, Gage didn't sneeze. The slime eel, or Pacific hagfish, slimed him. Really. The hagfish uses its slime to defend itself and can kill a predator by choking it to death on gobs of goo. The hagfish then ties itself in a half-hitch and squeegies the slime off itself. Later it can feed on the decaying predatory fish. Here's a video of their slime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb2EOP3ohnE 


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6 comments:

  1. Shrimp BoatApril 16, 2014 at 8:56 PM

    If we're not careful people are going to start calling our boat the Slime Eel Boat, since that's about the only thing we're catching reliably at the moment...

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  2. Shrimp BoatApril 17, 2014 at 9:57 AM

    Maybe we need to embrace the slime eel. Here's a guy bbq'ing one, and it looks downright tasty:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaVcRtDO-No

    Here's one where they're cooking abalone, cockles, oysters and slime eels.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IapP0yOkQw

    So come by the Crab Shack this weekend for some fresh slime eel! Yum!

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  3. Tomales OutlawApril 21, 2014 at 7:22 PM

    Where the hell is the Crab Shack?!?? And when the fishing is slow, apparently the thing to do with one's Montauk is tow skiers!! I saw the Shrimp Boat towing a lucky (?) skier on Saturday. One more thing the venerable Montauk is good for........

    Outlaw

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  4. Shrimp BoatApril 22, 2014 at 4:43 PM

    They say if you look at Orion's Belt on a moonless night and follow it to the Dogstar, and draw a straight line to Polaris, you'll find the Crab Shack... Or just come by A-16, by the illuminated pink flamingo. No crab shacking for me this coming weekend, but next weekend if the weather and bar behave we'll be trying for some shrimp again, and then convincing ourselves that the slime eels we caught instead of shrimp make it all worth it.

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  5. Shrimp BoatApril 22, 2014 at 6:26 PM

    Also, we'll tow anyone who wants towing behind the Shrimp Boat. Bring your own wetsuit. The crab trap buoy slalom course is optional.

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  6. Tomales OutlawApril 22, 2014 at 8:38 PM

    but next weekend if the weather and bar behave we'll be trying for some shrimp again


    Can I go?

    Outlaw

    ReplyDelete