Pike Spector (he/him)
@baronvonurchin.bsky.social
180 followers 120 following 77 posts
Biodiversity Program Manager at the California Ocean Protection Council (@opc-california.bsky.social). #Kelp forest lover, Phycology In General; here for SciComm, ecology, #Rstats, dad jokes, and natural history #phycyeah! He/him. MSc
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Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
montereybayaquarium.org
Happy World Cephalopod Day! 🐙This sucker for adventure feels its way through the world!

With thousands of chemical receptors and millions of texture receptors packed into each sucker, the giant Pacific octopus has a real sense for exploration.
A red-colored giant Pacific octopus with one eye poking out from its body while stretching out its arms, and showing off its white, round suckers
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
thefishbotherer.bsky.social
For my algae heads: happy spooky season!

(📷: my friend Stephanie who isn’t on here)

🦑
The bulbous ends of two pieces of bull kelp (Nerocystis luetkiana) carved into grinning jack o lanterns. They are on a rocky beach and you can see waves in the background.
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
This is the single greatest thing I’ve seen all spooky season.

@underwaterpat.bsky.social they beat us to the punch
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
opc-california.bsky.social
Dive into what’s happening across California in our September newsletter — full of projects, funding news, and stories you’ll want to follow.

🔗 Read the newsletter: bit.ly/OPC-SEP-2025
Monthly Newsletter - California Coast and Ocean News - September - California Ocean Protection Council
The September 2025 OPC newsletter is available!
bit.ly
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Love to see Lobos lush with kelp!
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
adlysia.bsky.social
Gracilaria sp. (“ogo”) is our seaweed of the week! #PhycologyFriday
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Can’t celebrate #PhycologyFriday without celebrating Dr. Abbott!

I always keep a copy of the MAC by my desk, just in case #phycyeah
minouette.bsky.social
Day 26 #SciArtSeptember prompt forage. My #linocut of #botanist Isabella Aiona Abbott (1919-2010), 🧪🐡👩🏻‍🔬 #histsci renown algae expert, celebrated seaweed cook, devoted teacher & mentor, expert on Hawaiian ethnobotany, the first Indigenous Hawaiian woman to earn a doctorate in science & the first woman
My linocut portrait of Isabella Aiona Abbott in indigo on cream coloured paper. She’s facing forward at a table in a shirt and sweater vest with a sheet with algae samples on the table. In my print, she is surrounded by algae of the Pacific, all of which appeared in Abbott's research publications, including several species she discovered, or based on images of specimen she personally collected or whose traditional use as food she documented. The algae are in pinks, khaki green and rust.
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
adlysia.bsky.social
Collage of historical seaweed pressings from 1883 in Santa Barbara by Ellen M. Booth #PhycologyFriday
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
lax.nws-bot.us
Small Craft Advisory issued September 25 at 12:49PM PDT until September 26 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
Additional Details Here.
* WHAT...Hazardous sea conditions.

* WHERE...Portions of the coastal waters of southwest
California.

* WHEN...Until 9 AM PDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...See the Coastal Waters Forecast (CWFLOX)
for more. * WHAT...Hazardous sea conditions.

* WHERE...Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal westward out to 10
NM and East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt.
Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island.

* WHEN...Until 9 PM PDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...See the Coastal Waters Forecast (CWFLOX)
for more.
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
opc-california.bsky.social
OPC seeks information to understand how federal actions are impacting efforts to understand, conserve, and protect California’s coast and ocean. Learn more and complete the survey: bit.ly/OPC-FDSURVEY
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
The GOAT of kelps! #PhcyologyFriday #phycyeah #marinelife
adlysia.bsky.social
Elkhorn kelp (Pelagophycus porra) is our seaweed of the week! Endemic to Southern California and Baja #PhycologyFriday
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
scrippsocean.bsky.social
🔥 🌊 Were the #LAWildfires to blame for this year's record-breaking harmful algal blooms? Not necessarily, according to Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System Director Clarissa Anderson. She explains more in this @latimes.com piece. ⬇️
Did L.A. wildfire debris worsen this year's toxic algal bloom? Researchers say it's unlikely
Toxic algae killed hundreds of marine mammals near L.A. in the last year. Scientists suspected January wildfire runoff may be to blame, but new research says no.
www.latimes.com
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
lax.nws-bot.us
🚨 Flood Watch issued September 17 at 3:21PM PDT until September 19 at 2:00AM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA 🚨
Additional Details Here.
Small modification in timing description, otherwise no change.

* WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible.

* WHERE...A portion of southwest California, including the following
areas, Antelope Valley, Cuyama Valley, Eastern Antelope Valley
Foothills, Eastern San Gabriel Mountains, Eastern Santa Monica
Mountains Recreational Area, Interstate 5 Corridor, Los Angeles
County San Gabriel Valley, Malibu Coast, Northern Ventura County
Mountains, San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys, San Luis
Obispo County Mountains, Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains,
Southern Ventura County Mountains, Western Antelope Valley
Foothills, Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor
and Western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area.

* WHEN...From early Thursday morning through late Thursday night.

* IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers,
creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- Rain rates up to or locally exceeding one half inch per hour
are possible.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Oh man I miss that view, and that Strait! 🥲
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Big beautiful beach wrack bull kelp!
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Green algae don’t get enough love, especially in marine systems! #phycyeah #PhycologyFriday
adlysia.bsky.social
Chaetomorpha spiralis is our seaweed of the week! It doesn’t have a common name as far as I know, but “sea spiral” seemed fitting #PhycologyFriday
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
marinednadude.bsky.social
Giving at talk to my center today on ‘Omics 101. Folks want to learn about this “new” science

NOAA has been doing ‘Omics since AT LEAST 1979. A full 24 years before I was born.

And arguably there’s Bureau of Fisheries work from the 30s (future quest)

Anyways, we’re still new! Young at heart🧬😂🐠🧪
Cover of the front page of a journal article titled “Population Genetics” authored by Fred W. Allendorf and Fred M. Utter from NOAA NWFSC published in 1979
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
opc-california.bsky.social
Myth: Kelp forests don’t need our help to recover.

Fact: Conservation and restoration action can help kelp thrive.

Thank you for joining us for the Myth vs. Kelp Series! 💙🌿

Follow us on our other socials to explore the myth vs. fact details and see the full series: opc.ca.gov/social
Reposted by Pike Spector (he/him)
opc-california.bsky.social
Welcome to the final week of the Myth vs. Kelp Series! ⬇️

Myth: Kelp forests are thriving along California's coast.

Fact: In many places, California's kelp forests are under threat.

Follow us on our other socials to get the details: opc.ca.gov/social
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
This has been going on for decades! Or at least since I was a fishery observer more than a decade ago 😅
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Ah, I should have just Asc-ophyllm’d an expert!