Kino

not just shrimp

throughout the night, we measured eels and flounder and catfish..and checked off many more species separated out from the shrimp.  The students worked hard throughout 24 knot winds and big seas.

Cosme finally convinced me to take sleep during my hour long bout with sea sickness

By morning i realized that I hadn't even begun. The generosity of the crew and the complexity of the project will bring me back for more, for sure.  I am so grateful for the experience, for a look into this multi-faceted ecological, socio-economical cultural, cross-cultural, historical and future  question..questions.

Grateful for all of the people involved, the crew, they welcomed us and taught us to rip off shrimp heads and made us coffee, fed us tacos and let us sleep in their beds. I am hooked...

................and even more trawling

Wading through the catch, we will separate shrimp from the fish, collect sample buckets, look for species of special concern, weigh, measure......

 

 
what do you think the ratio of by-catch to shrimp is???

 


tune in tomorrow for more scenes from the by-catch world....

trawl continued....

During the first set, the deck is washed in preparation for the catch.

The chongo is pulled up.  It is a small sample net used to see how the fishing is.  They keep shrimp and other fish used for personal consumption or to sell and shovel the rest back into the sea.

 

 
 

Greg takes a look at the sample before it all gets thrown back in.

and as we wait, he looks on with crew member Aron at the by-catch guide.

and then....

 

 

To Trawl or not to Trawl

That is the question.  I spent the last night or morning aboard a shrimp trawler with Prescott College students  recording data from each catch throughout the night. For the past ten years, Prescott College has been involved in a study addressing several questions/concerns pertaining to by-catch associated with shrimp trawling in the sea of cortez.  It is a complex issue filled with cultural and ecological concerns...   Over the next few days I will highlight my experience with these amazing PC students and equally fascinating trawling crew.

 

On any given night in November, our family can sit on the beach after sunset and count the lights of 18-20 shrimp trawlers in the bay.  Colter believed all last year that they were the lights of pirate ships. He would ready himself for defending the family with swords and eyepatches. This year, when his concern for keeping the station locked, to keep the pirates out prevented him from going to sleep at night...we broke the news to him.  "Those are not the lights of pirate ships, those are shrimp trawlers." 

  We boarded the trawler around 4pm.  The nets wouldn't be dropped until just after sunset. 

Lucy made apple crisp and brought food to resupply the crew. We would later eat super yummy tacos dorado out of this kitchen.

We spent some time touring the boat and meeting the crew.

 

Crew members spent time making repairs

resting

 

and of course we started drinking coffee.

after sunset, the nets were dropped

and we waited.......

Flying Manta

 

 

Colibri

If you look up hummingbird in the animal medicine cards, they represent Joy.

In The Hummingbird's Daughter, the semalu comes down from heaven to whisper the words of God.

 

With so much joy to spread, their hearts beat at 500bpm putting them into a dangerous catatonic state when sleeping.  rarely resting for fear that they may expire before they are through.
We are lucky to be surrounded by the colibri here at the station.

dolphins and sharks and whales...oh my

On a recent trip to San Pedro Martir with the Marine Conservation class, we were accompanied by

Dolphins

 

Sperm Whales

 

snorkeled with sea lions, sea turtles and hogfish...and Jacy

 

saw a Hammerhead Shark! (sorry for the horrible photo)
 

and of course to top it off;  the sign of a very good day asleep on the Panga.....

the chase

Hailey got to touch one that day.

Feliz Halloween

LENTO

I apologize for sudden drop off in posts. The internet has been very S ....... L..... .. O ...... W, and so have I.

Check back tomorrow for spooky and goolish treats.