The California Current
A Pacific Ecosystem and Its Fliers, Divers, and Swimmers
Stan Ulanski
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 02/2016
Pages: 256
Subject: Nature
| University of North Carolina
Print ISBN: 9780000000000
eBook ISBN: 9781469628257
DESCRIPTION
The waters of the California Current yield a complex broth of planktonic organisms that form the base of an elaborate food web that many naturalists have compared to the species-rich Serengeti ecosystem of Africa. Every year, turtles, seals, fish, and seabirds travel great distances to feast in the current's distinct biological oases and feeding sites. Apex predators, such as the California gray whale, humpback whale, salmon shark, and bluefin tuna, undertake extensive north-south migrations within the current to find enough to eat. The California Current energizes us to celebrate and protect a marine ecosystem integral to the myriad fisheries, coastal communities, and cultures of the Pacific coast.