It was a calm, misty night which allowed scientists to see familiar, pickle-shaped tunicates floating at the surface at the farthest offshore station, NH-25. They were pyrosomes, of course!
Pyrosomes were collected at almost every station along the Newport Line, even at the most nearshore station. They have also been spotted on southern Oregon beaches this week, attracting the attention of beachcombers.
After the pyrosome numbers explosions of 2017/2018, pyrosomes have seemed mostly absent in Oregon waters except for occasional sightings in winter time. For the past two winters, we have seen pyrosome strandings on beaches, especially after winter storms. These gelatinous critters are still an active area of collaborative research in the California Current, as scientists try to unravel what these new patterns in distribution mean.
