Glowing Stuff in the Bay?

[fishinfreak]

so i took my inflatable out tonight at humphreys to watch a concert with my family. on our way back to our slip, in about 10 feet of water, i saw multiple glowing worm-like things on the surface. they looked very thin (paper clip thin) and short (the largest was about an inch). they glowed green just like a glowstick you would use for hooping or yaking. they cruised through the water in a spiral motion, and the wake they left was illuminated green just like their bodies. over a course of 100 yards i saw about 4 of these dudes on the surface. unfortunately i did not have a camera with me to snap a shot of them. anyone have any idea of what they could be???

[TT5150]

Originally Posted by fishinfreak

so i took my inflatable out tonight at humphreys to watch a concert with my family. on our way back to our slip, in about 10 feet of water, i saw multiple glowing worm-like things on the surface. they looked very thin (paper clip thin) and short (the largest was about an inch). they glowed green just like a glowstick you would use for hooping or yaking. they cruised through the water in a spiral motion, and the wake they left was illuminated green just like their bodies. over a course of 100 yards i saw about 4 of these dudes on the surface. unfortunately i did not have a camera with me to snap a shot of them. anyone have any idea of what they could be???

Not the best answer available but this is what I remember from High School . The plankton in the water can create that affect when something activates them. Also some animals glow. Google bioluminescene, there are quite a bit of creatures that glow.

[umtduckhead]

try googling dinoflagellates .... these also are the cause of Redtide.

[fishinfreak]

i know that bioluminescence is often caused by something disrupting the water (kayak paddle, bubbles, a boat's engine) but these guys were just chillin on the surface doing their own thing, without any disruptance. when i went over them with the inflatable, however, they stopped glowing and we could not see them anymore. seemed kinda like the opposite of bioluminescence. instead of disrupting something to make it glow, it glowed until it was disrupted.

[Jimmyz123]

Originally Posted by fishinfreak

i know that bioluminescence is often caused by something disrupting the water (kayak paddle, bubbles, a boat's engine) but these guys were just chillin on the surface doing their own thing, without any disruptance. when i went over them with the inflatable, however, they stopped glowing and we could not see them anymore. seemed kinda like the opposite of bioluminescence. instead of disrupting something to make it glow, it glowed until it was disrupted.

some fish are able to produce this in order to attract other marine life for food. The Angler fish that you see in Finding Nemo, that's a good example of what they use that light for. The light will attract other and then the fish will eat them as they get close enough. Again some fish can create this at any time.

[Oolie]

those things are out there year round, and they frequent that area with the "nuclear worms"