Freckled rockfish (Sebastes lentiginosus). A freckled rockfish over muddy substrate.

Chameleon rockfish (Sebastes phillipsi). Several chameleon rockfish over deep, rocky substrate and sea urchins.

Copper rockfish (Sebastes caurinus). A solitary copper rockfish over rocky substrate.

Blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus). A blue rockfish uncharacteristically resting on the rocky seafloor.

Greenstriped rockfish (Sebastes elongatus). A greenstriped rockfish resting on mixed substrate.

Brown rockfish (Sebastes auriculatus). A brown rockfish over rocky substrate.

California market squid (Doryteuthis (Loligo) opalescens ) egg capsule and paralarvae are from an experiment conducted in 2000 at the SWFSC. Egg capsules were collected and placed in different temperature baths to determine their optimal temperature for hatching and development.

California market squid (Doryteuthis (Loligo) opalescens ) taken through a microscope in 2003. These wild-caught paralarvae were collected in a manta sample in January 1989 from CalCOFI station 90.37 aboard the NOAA Ship DAVID STARR JORDAN. The smallest squid is 2.67 mm, and the largest is 4.45 mm.

This specimen of squid (Abraliopsis felis) does not have a common name. It was collected in a bongo tow sample in 2007 from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography vessel NEW HORIZON during the fall CalCOFI cruise at line 86.7 Station 100.0 .

An old Pepsi can sits on the rocky seafloor near 43 Fathom Bank off the coast of San Diego. Behind the can is a shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus). Photo taken by SWFSC remotely operated vehicle at 530 meters depth.

A large car/boat battery rests on the sea floor near San Nicolas Island. The battery is covered in crinoids, which may serve as artificial habitat for a young rosy rockfish (Sebastes rosaceus). This photo was taken by the SWFSC remotely operated vehicle at approximately 110 meters.

An orange bucket rests on the sea floor at the Blackgill Spot, near 43 Fathom Bank off the coast of San Diego. The bucket has become home to a sea anemone and a few brittle stars. This photo was taken by the SWFSC remotely operated vehicle at approximately 430 meters.

A stack of un-fired ammunition lies partially buried in the soft sediment at 9 Mile Bank off the coast of San Diego. Several brittle stars have excavated a home underneath the shell casings. This photo was taken by the SWFSC remotely operated vehicle at approximately 150 meters.

An unhappy fisherman has recently lost one of his XTRATUFF boots at Tanner Bank. This photo was taken by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at approximately 40m.

A derelict gill net continues to 'ghost fish' at Farnsworth Bank, near Santa Catalina Island in southern California. In this case, a shark has recently become entangled in the net and died. This photo was taken by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at approximately 50m.

A prawn/fish trap rests on the sea floor at Farnsworth Bank, near Santa Catalina Island in southern California. A school of small rosy rockfishes (Sebastes rosaceus) are aggregated around the trap. This trap has likely been in place for a while given the amount of encrusting organisms present. This photo was taken by the SWFSC remotely operated vehicle at approximately 35 meters.

A classic example of marine debris, a derelict fish/prawn trap continues to 'ghost fish' at 9 Mile Bank, which is approximately nine miles off the coast of San Diego. Inside the trap, there is at least one bank rockfish (Sebastes rufus) . This photo was taken by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center's remotely operated vehicle at approximately 530 meters.

Ragfish egg (Icosteus aenigmaticus) image taken under a microscope at the SWFSC in La Jolla. The egg was collected 4/14/2006 in a continuous underway fish egg sampler (CUFES) sample aboard the NOAA Ship OSCAR DYSON off the coast of Washington.

Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) eggs collected and photographed under a microscope in April 2006 during FRD's California Current Ecosystem Survey aboard the NOAA Ship DAVID STARR JORDAN.

These Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) larvae are from the SWFSC ichthyoplankton reference collection. The specimens were collected in the CalCOFI area.

Curlfin turbot (Pleuronichthys decurrens), a right-eyed flounder found in the eastern Pacific. Larva and juvenile specimen from SWFSC La Jolla ichthyoplankton reference collection. Top is a 6.5 mm larva, taken in a 1-meter ring net in June 1952 from CalCOFI Station 70.65 aboard the R/V SPENCER F. BAIRD Bottom image is 31 mm juvenile taken in mid-water trawl, April 1972, off JORDAN

Cowcod larvae (Sebastes levis), a species of rockfish. Top specimens collected in bongo tow in April 2006 at CalCOFI station 83.3 42.0 aboard Scripps ship NEW HORIZON. Larva on left is 3.3 mm, on right 3.1 mm. The 7.4 mm flexion stage larva on bottom was collected in a bongo tow in 4/2009 at station 95.45 during SWFSC California Current Ecosystem Survey aboard charter vessel FROSTI.

Jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) eggs and larva are part of the SWFSC La Jolla ichthyoplankton reference collection specimens. They were collected from the CalCOFI area.

Planktonic protists: plants and grazers. The two yellowish protists are diatoms (plants) while the brown life forms are tintinnids (grazers). Examples of morphological diversity of protists. Sample from a plankton net tow in the Bay of Villefranche on the January 25 2011. The two diatoms (plants) and the three tintinnid ciliates, which feed on small plants, have very different shapes.

Astrolithium cruciatum

Tintinnopsis beroidea .

Carpocanium Sp. Skeleton of the radiolarian Carpocanium from a sample in the Aegean Sea at 600m depth

Ceratium digitatum (running away!)

Cell wall of Ceratium tripos

Cladopyxis sp. Dinoflagellate from the Aegean Sea. Lugol's-fixed specimen from 75m depth.

Climacocyclis scalaria - Specimen from the Bay of Villefranche in October 2010, Lugol's-fixed. Images taken with a 20X objective and compiled with a Helico Focus.

Globigerinid Foramaniferan. Possibly Globigerinella siphonifera or Globerigina falconensis (according to Jan Pawlowski)

Phycologist humor - lorica evolution? Why have a lorica or shell? The lorica or shell likely evolved as protection against predation by other protists such as dinoflagellates and radiolarians who use feeding tubes and pseudopodia. The seemingly odd morphologies of planktonic organisms are the result of "Watery Arms Race" pitting prey against predator according to Victor Smetacek.

Unidentified planktonic protist. If you know what this is, please contact the Observatoire Oceanologique de Villefrance-sur-Mer

Probably Lamprocyclas maritalis

Parafavella parumdentata - specimen collected from the Bering Sea by Diane Stoecker.

Protohabdonella curta - a tintinnid microzooplankton species

Radiolarian ate the tintinnid Proplectella

Scyphosphaera apsteinii. A coccolithophorid from the Ionean Sea. Coccolithhophorids are plants and cover their cells with calcium carbonate plates.

Star radiolarian. Specimen from the Bay of Villefranche in October 2010. Lugol's-fixed.

Steenstrupiella steenstrupii

Dadayiella ganymedes - From the Indian Ocean collected during the Tara Oceans Expedition at Station 58, DCM, image using 60X objective

Tiarina fusus - The mouth end of this marine ciliate is at the top. It has calcium carbonate plates (the beaded surface). It feeds on microscopic algae.

Wagon wheel diatom

CTD rosette being deployed. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth measurement instrument.

CTD rosette in water. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth measurement instrument.

CTD rosette going down. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth measurement instrument.

CTD rosette coming up. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth measurement instrument.

CTD rosette coming up. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth measurement instrument.

CTD rosette coming up. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth measurement instrument.