Cutest bug in the ocean?

You might not agree, especially considering the unattractive name, but there's something that makes this little Atlantic crustacean adorable to Chesapeake Bay fisherman. It's the taxi he rides in on, usually a very big female rockfish migrating into the Bay from the deeper waters of the ocean. They're called "Sea Lice" by fishermen. Apparently they aren't harmful to the fish and they drop off immediately when it comes out of the water. Less than an inch long, big ocean rockfish will sometimes have dozens on them. There isn't enough salinity in Bay waters to support the natural life-cycle of Sea Lice. It's exciting to catch a fish with Sea Lice on it because it's an indicator that you're in a school of migratory stripers. Migrating fish are usually much larger and stronger than the native rockfish of the Chesapeake. I'll say more about this little fellow's taxi in a subsequent post. -Shawn