← JournalNotes from the Kelp Forest

Grove Shadow Minnow

Umbriscolus nemoris

Coastal9 cm · Schooling · wary

Field record

It stays inside the shadow the canopy throws across the bottom, and when the swell shifts the kelp overhead the whole shoal drifts sideways after it in tight, unhurried formation, as if pulled on a string tied to the plant. Chase one into full sun and it doesn't flee outward — it cuts back under the nearest frond and disappears into the dark again.

Marginal note: “a shoal that moves only when the kelp overhead moves”

Habitat

ZoneThe Kelp Forest

Depth range640–3,000 m

DiscoveryNo special condition — found simply by piloting close enough to identify it.

Catching it

A Coastal-tier catch needs at least a Fine Mesh Net— anything under that rating can never hold it, whatever the throw. Bought at the Quartermaster’s counter for 90 crystals. A held net inks this entry for good and pays its ledger bonus on the spot.

Ledger bonus on capture+3 Speed

Full capture mechanics — sighting vs. capture, the aim ring, why a net below a creature’s tier always bursts — in The Ledger.