From the 20th to the 24th of March, Blue World Foundation was at the Creek Chino Public School in Livingston, Izabal. During this visit, the elaboration of the mural on the marine ecosystem was followed. Mural that aims to change the negative perception that children have about sharks and rays in the Caribbean of Guatemala.
A special thanks to Rufford Foundation for the support provided in this project.
Omoa Preservation Corps carried out the “Children’s Theatre of Sharks” in the community of Munch, Honduras. In addition, all the attending children were given a copy of the didactic and coloring book “Martin and his friends”.
The aim of these activities is to teach our future generations the importance of sharks in our marine ecosystems and to change the negative perception towards sharks. This project is a collaboration between Blue World Foundation and Omoa Preservation Corps in the execution. Thanks totally to the support of the United States Department of State, without its contribution this project would not have been possible.
From the 6th to the 10th of March, Blue World Foundation visited the communities of El Quetzalito and Livingston in Izabal. “Martin and his Friends” is the name of the coloring book that was donated to 300 children. “Martin and his friends” is a didactic and entertaining book that has information about the biology, ecology, importance and problematic of sharks. We thank the U.S. State Department for the support it has given to the implementation of this project.
Blue World Foundation on February 20 to 24, continued painting the mural on “Rays and Sharks” at the Creek Chino Public School in Livingston. The purpose of this mural is to raise awareness among children about the importance of these organisms and their ecosystems.
We want to give a special thanks to Rufford Foundation for the support provided to carry out this project.
Martin and his friends is a coloring book to educate on biology, ecology, importance and problematic of sharks. In the beginning it educates children of the communities of El Quetzalito, Livingston and Muncha Honduras. Our goal is for children to learn to value and care for the marine ecosystems and in this case “the Sharks”. In the future it is intended to reach more communities in the Caribbean and continue to change the negative perception about sharks. This book was prepared by Blue World Foundation team and its design was made by Thalya López member of our team.
The first workshop on shark biology and ecology was held in the community of El Quetzalito with the help of volunteers. The presentation on biology consisted of specific subjects like the senses, forms of feeding, types of teeth, anatomy and reproduction of Sharks. The presentation on ecology was about the different types of habitats, shapes of the body and the coloring of Sharks. There was also a children’s theatre about sharks where 30 children were educated about the importance of these organisms.
We thank our partner in this project Omoa Preservation Corps for joining us and for having the opportunity to work together. This project is possible thanks to the financing of the federal Government of the United States.
We want to share our video about the permaculture project in the communities of Switche III, El Quetzalito, San Francisco del Mar and Media Luna. We are very grateful to the young people of the communities, and to all the community who supported us to carry out this project. Many thanks to CONAP for the support provided to this project and for all its conservation efforts for the Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge. Many thanks to MarFund, FCG, German cooperation and KfW.
MigraMar held its annual meeting in Panama City from the 13th to the 17th of December of the year 2017. They were present founding institutions of MigraMar, as well as organizations of the East Pacific that carry out research on subject of highly migratory species (mainly sharks, rays, whales and sea turtles). Blue World Foundation was invited to participate on 14th, 15th and 16th December.
During the first day and a half the workshop was conducted biological data and telemetry registered. The workshop was carried out using the program R and R Study for analysis of data captured by acoustic and satellite marks. The first part used the VTrack package to be able to extract data from the records of organisms with acoustic probes and to carry out statistical analyses thereof. The second part was to use the observed data of the individuals marked to predict current behaviors (for example travel behavior, forage, rest, etc.) using data travel speed, angle of turns and depth. The last part was on the use of position data and how to view this data in geographic information systems within RStudio, in addition to relate server data (temperature, chlorophyll, among others) and relate to the Observed data.
After the workshop there was a small round table playing the issue about the attack of sharks and the presentation of a case of a bull shark attacking a tourist in Cocos Island in Costa Rica.
After the workshop there was a small round table addressing the issue about the attack of sharks and the presentation of a case of a bull shark attacking a tourist in Cocos Island in Costa Rica.
The second part of the meeting consisted of the II Symposium on Migration routes and highly migratory species, to carry out this symposium, the representatives of the MigraMar institutions and invited institutions made a presentation of 20 Minutes. The institutions present were Pacific Manta Research Group (United States), Megamouth Kakunjá (Mexico), Blue World Foundation (Guatemala), Paso Pacifico (Nicaragua), Turtle Island restoration Network, Crema, PN Cocos Island, Pacific, MarViva (Costa Rica), Coiba PN, Ministry of Environment (Panama), MarAlliance (Panama and Belize), San Francisco University of Quito, Galapagos pn, Blue Balance, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador (Ecuador), Planet Ocean (Peru) Institute of Fisheries and University Austral de Chile (Chile).
Blue World Foundation presented the results obtained from the evaluation of the chondrichthyes fishery, the monitoring using BRUVs and scientific longlines and the evaluation of perception on sharks and rays in the Caribbean of Guatemala. With respect to the Pacific of Guatemala, the preliminary results of the evaluation of the Chondrichthyes fishery were presented in 2 coastal communities. The points that generated greater interest in the people present were: the high incidence of infant and juvenile hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) as incidental fishing in the Pacific of Guatemala, the fishing of juveniles in the Caribbean of Guatemala and the registration of New species in Guatemalan waters, the mutual collaboration between the children of fishermen and Blue World Foundation, as well as the scholarships given to them, and the environmental education material that has been carried out to make known the importance of the Sharks in Guatemala.
New article! These studies report the first record of the Chimera Neoharriota Carri in Guatemalan waters and N. Carri more northern records in the western Atlantic. Details on the identification and measurement of these species are presented.
We would like to share with you our new article. This paper presents multiple and notable records of S. Hesperius in Guatemalan waters, which represent an extension in Central America and the Caribbean, major S. Hesperius and the first mature males collected to date. We would like to thank Andy Murch for taking these photos of this species in Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge.
