Earlier today I went to St Helens Beach with my nephew. I had a lot of luck a couple of weeks ago with a sieve so was keen to see what I could find.
I had trouble finding much seaweed. I don’t know whether it was because the tide was around .2m (about .15 lower than last time), or whether the beach had been cleaned somehow. I did feel seaweed when in deeper water.
I decide I’d have a quick look at the critters around the pier and then spend on the rest of the day mucking around in the water.
I think I found a mixture of Pyura and Styela species – maybe Styela plicata? It was so hard to get clear photos. The area was poorly lit and the water was so murky. The water was choppy, despite being in a sheltered area. It was hard for me to stand still and get photos at the exact time the water had receeded.
I’m not 100% sure of the species I’ve found because of this. If I’m right about Styela plicata then I have found them in two parts of Corio Bay. I’m not seeing Styela on the floating pontoons anywhere though.
