trip to tampolove:
sea cucumber farming and TORTOISE tracking!
post by allana
In week four we were lucky enough to get a weekend trip with all the volunteers to a tiny island about 1.5 hours away by boat- Tampolove. We were to survey some reefs within a brand new community reserve and assist with BV aquaculture projects.
Alas the condition were not great for diving. On our first dive the current was so strong that it took about 10 kicks to make a 2 meters, needless to say we were sucking down the oxygen big time before we even made it to the survey site! The current also made it extremely difficult to get the tape out and keep a straight transect. We finally managed however, and were rewarded with impressive schools of baby lunar fusilers, snapper and lots of butterfly fish. Good indicators of a healthy reef. The next day we also had little luck with the conditions, but it did mean we could go for a fun dive. Saw some beautiful rose shaped ribbon looking things which turned out to be nudibranch eggs! Just before we came up a massive spanish mackerel swam right through our group which was very cool. The main aim of this trip however was not really for the diving, but rather for some squidgy, slimy echinoderms in need of harvesting... Sea cucumbers!
Alas the condition were not great for diving. On our first dive the current was so strong that it took about 10 kicks to make a 2 meters, needless to say we were sucking down the oxygen big time before we even made it to the survey site! The current also made it extremely difficult to get the tape out and keep a straight transect. We finally managed however, and were rewarded with impressive schools of baby lunar fusilers, snapper and lots of butterfly fish. Good indicators of a healthy reef. The next day we also had little luck with the conditions, but it did mean we could go for a fun dive. Saw some beautiful rose shaped ribbon looking things which turned out to be nudibranch eggs! Just before we came up a massive spanish mackerel swam right through our group which was very cool. The main aim of this trip however was not really for the diving, but rather for some squidgy, slimy echinoderms in need of harvesting... Sea cucumbers!
The baby sea cucumbers have arrived! We were very lucky that our visit coincided with the arrival of new baby sea cucumbers. This small village has a contract with a huge multinational seafood company- tiny sea cucumbers are delivered, the village grows them up to 400g, harvests them and sells them back to the big corporation for the Asian market. One kilo of dried sea cucumber is worth more than USD$100! Unfortunately it's not the farmers that get that much, but it is certainly a viable and sustainable livelihood for the village.
Our first job was to take the baby sea cucumbers out to the pens. The pens are simple netted structures out in the bay, at low tide you can walk out and the water is only up to your knees or ankles. Every farmer has their own pen, but they are all right next to each other in the one area. We were designated our 'host-farmers', Scott and I were paired with Emma and Kukooli, two lovely ladies with one large pen the furthest out in the water. After taking the babies out Emma and Kukooli put us right to work, scrubbing the pens free of algae to ensure good water flow, and also retying some of the stakes.
Our first job was to take the baby sea cucumbers out to the pens. The pens are simple netted structures out in the bay, at low tide you can walk out and the water is only up to your knees or ankles. Every farmer has their own pen, but they are all right next to each other in the one area. We were designated our 'host-farmers', Scott and I were paired with Emma and Kukooli, two lovely ladies with one large pen the furthest out in the water. After taking the babies out Emma and Kukooli put us right to work, scrubbing the pens free of algae to ensure good water flow, and also retying some of the stakes.
That night we had a home stay dinner with Emma and Kukooli. We
sat around under a tree outside their hut and helped gut the fish and sort the
rice while Rado translated some basic conversation for us. Turns out both Emma
and Kukooli are happy with their sea-cucumber farm. Depending on the size of
the quarterly harvest it can bring them in around $600 a year. This is about
twice as much as the average national income in Madagascar.
It was nice to sit out there with the two women and their kids, cooking fish on a little fire as the sun went down. We got to experience true village life; all the women gathered in small groups outside, cooking, playing cards, braiding their hair and chatting. After another day fishing men shoot the breeze in the bar, all the kids run around together playing and laughing.
It was nice to sit out there with the two women and their kids, cooking fish on a little fire as the sun went down. We got to experience true village life; all the women gathered in small groups outside, cooking, playing cards, braiding their hair and chatting. After another day fishing men shoot the breeze in the bar, all the kids run around together playing and laughing.
After dinner we headed back to our hut to try and sleep for a few hours before the harvest at midnight. Unfortunately the little bar in Tampolove does not like anyone sleeping before midnight, so they continued to blast the same Malagasy song over and over again at horrendous decibels. The music finally stopped right when we had to get up. We rugged up as warmly as we could and met up with everyone ready to head out to the sea-cucumber pens.
Kukooli and Emmas pens were the furthest out and as soon as we arrived they put us to work, searching with our eyes and gently with our feet for any sea cucumbers. It was really beautiful and peaceful to be out there under an amazing starry sky, surrounded by the lapping water noises and gentle talking of the farmers, with the occasional triumphant cry when an extra large sea cucumber was discovered. We floated a big tub in front of us and soon started filling it with sea-cucumbers of various sizes. It was kind of hilarious yet at the same time completely natural for us to be wading knee-deep in the pitch-black ocean searching for sea-cucumbers off a tiny village in Madagascar at one in the morning. It was one of those clarifying, beautifully absurd moments in life. I remember looking at my fiancé in the weak torchlight and thinking, yep, this is what we're doing and this is exactly where we are supposed to be :)
Kukooli and Emmas pens were the furthest out and as soon as we arrived they put us to work, searching with our eyes and gently with our feet for any sea cucumbers. It was really beautiful and peaceful to be out there under an amazing starry sky, surrounded by the lapping water noises and gentle talking of the farmers, with the occasional triumphant cry when an extra large sea cucumber was discovered. We floated a big tub in front of us and soon started filling it with sea-cucumbers of various sizes. It was kind of hilarious yet at the same time completely natural for us to be wading knee-deep in the pitch-black ocean searching for sea-cucumbers off a tiny village in Madagascar at one in the morning. It was one of those clarifying, beautifully absurd moments in life. I remember looking at my fiancé in the weak torchlight and thinking, yep, this is what we're doing and this is exactly where we are supposed to be :)
Scott and I obviously have a knack for sea-cucumber farming because we were the first team to finish harvesting. We helped Kukooli and Emma weigh each one, with any under 400g going back into the pens for next time. This species of sea-cucumber only put on about 10g per month and a lot of ours were around the 350g range, which was very frustrating. Still I guess that means around Christmas they can look forward to a good harvest.
It was around 2:30am when we started to pick our way back to shore. Halfway there I turned around to see a long row of gently moving torch lights stretching back across the sand flats. It was like a night time caravan of fairy lights, the other volunteers and farmers quietly sloshing through the ankle deep water heading back to shore.
It was around 2:30am when we started to pick our way back to shore. Halfway there I turned around to see a long row of gently moving torch lights stretching back across the sand flats. It was like a night time caravan of fairy lights, the other volunteers and farmers quietly sloshing through the ankle deep water heading back to shore.