PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary will unveil an exhibit about cold-water coral discovered off the Washington Pacific coast when it hosts an informal opening today.
The opening of the exhibit, “Secrets of the Deep” — the Discovery Center’s first substantial, new exhibit since it opened five years ago — will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in the Discovery Center, on the second floor of The Landing mall on Railroad Avenue in Port Angeles.
The coral, discovered through a series of expeditions beginning in 2006, are brightly colored organisms, and some are species never identified before, said researcher Mary Sue Brancato, one of the sanctuary team members who studied the coral off Washington state’s Pacific coast.
Six sculptures of the coral and other wildlife found in the Juan de Fuca Canyon — which extends seaward from the Strait of Juan de Fuca — were created for the sanctuary’s Discover Center by BIOS of Bainbridge Island with the help of sculptor Haarald Peterson, said Janet Lamont, Discovery Center coordinator.
Bob Steelquist, sanctuary education and outreach coordinator said the exhibit “highlights some of the research and exploration work we’ve been doing off the coast.
“We want to give folks an opportunity to see what these coral colonies look like.”
The new exhibit also marks the 15th anniversary of the sanctuary, as well as the fifth anniversary of the Discovery Center. Both opened July 16.
More exploration
Brancato said the team of oceanic biologists are hopeful that they can soon return to do some more exploration in the area, adding that funding may be available in 2010.
“Every time I see it, is just so exciting,” she said. “There’s nothing like it.
“Nothing bored me, even when it was just muddy pictures coming up.”
The team used a remotely controlled robot to explore the depths between 300 and 2,000 feet below sea level.
A mass of coral, which may look like a plant firmly rooted on the ocean floor, is actually a group of animals related to the sea anemone, Brancato said.
Other undersea animals often attach themselves to the coral or climb up the coral to get higher in the water, Lamont said.
Those creatures are also featured in the displays, with fish hiding among coral and a catshark egg case attached to it.
“One of the sharks actually hatched, or came out of its case, while we were watching it on screen, so we were able to identify what the case was,” Brancato said.
Although coral can be delicate, it also has a long lifespan, she said.
Ancient animals
The coral displays are modeled after some that were between 300 and 4,000 years old, Brancato said.
The coral displayed include the Paragorgia, the Swiftia the Plumarella, the Primnoa, Stylaster and Lophelia.
Under the sea, each species can appear in various colors. The models at the Discovery Center are based on photographs taken from the 2006 expedition.
The Paragorgia is shown as bright red, with a few polyps, which are individual animals that feed on zooplankton as they float by in the water.
The orange Swiftia display has thinner offshoots, making it look more like a tangled orange tumbleweed of the ocean floor.
The purple Plumarella looks like a fern, while the largest display — which is of the orange Primnoa — hides a couple of fish, just as the scientists saw in photographs.
Against these colors, the stark white display of Stylaster stands out with its sleek offshoots.
The Lophelia display is based on a conical stone-like structure with pink pentacles.
“It is quite amazing the variety of color that exists at a level of the sea where there is no light,” Brancato said.
At the opening ceremony, Carol Bernthal, sanctuary superintendent, will provide remarks. Invited are representatives of the board of directors of the Arthur D. Feiro Marine Life Center and the Port of Port Angeles.
A no-host bar will be available at Wine on the Waterfront.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
