During the week of the 25th to the 28th of July, the fourth environmental Education tour took place in the Caribbean schools of Guatemala. Through the Puppet Theatre, storytelling and memory educational games, students from El Quetzalito mixed Rural School and the Livingston Adventist School were educated about marine pastures. Very grateful to Rufford Foundation for their support.
Keep tuned and asks how you can help educate more children.
During this year, Blue World Foundation and the Center for Sea Studies and Aquaculture, have carried out the monitoring of the marine megafauna in the Caribbean of Guatemala. For this purpose, sampling methodologies have been applied with remote video stations with bait (known as BRUVS) and the scientific long liners. This information complements the Chondrichthyes database for the Caribbean region.
Last week Blue World Foundation, with the support of the Rufford Foundation, held the first workshop of the project “Participatory Management of Shark Fishermen in the Caribbean of Guatemala”. The workshop “TOOLS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF CARTILAGINOUS FISH”, was carried out with the support of Colombo Estupiñán-Montaño. M.Sc., Director of research at Allium Pacific Foundation. During the workshop, fishermen and volunteers were explained the necessary tools for species identification, as well as data used for the classification and identification of sharks and rays.
During July, the second monitoring of mega marine fauna was carried out using scientific longlines in the Caribbean of Guatemala. Three Rays were successfully captured, scored and released. In addition, a shark was successfully captured and released which, because of its very small size, was decided not to be marked. This work was done thanks to the support DIGI/USAC/CEMA/Blue World Foundation (Directorate General of Research/University of San Carlos of Guatemala/center of Studies of the sea and aquaculture/Blue World Foundation). We also want to thank all the support provided by the fishermen of the community Quetzalito and Livingston, and Colombo Estupiñán-Montaño. M.Sc., Director of research at Allium Pacific Foundation.
In July, the communities of Swiche III, Media Luna, El Quetzalito and San Francisco del Mar received the trainings on permaculture, seed germination, compost making and good practices in the orchard design. Both students and parents participated actively in the design and conditioning processes of the plots. Every community is original and unique! And they are demonstrating great skills for sustainable agriculture (permaculture).
A special thank you to our donors: CONAP, FCG, Marfund and German cooperation through KfW.
During July Blue World Foundation distributed information material to fishermen of the community of El Quetzalito on fisheries regulation of sharks and rays in the Mesoamerican reef system SAM, this was done with the objective of raising awareness of the Fishermen not to commit illicit acts on this fishery and to inform about the times of Veda in force in the different countries that make up the-SAM-as well as the respective sanctions that are applied. We thank the fishermen for their openness and collaboration in this activity.
Last week Blue World Foundation, with the support of the Rufford Foundation, initiated the project “Participatory management of shark fishermen in the Caribbean of Guatemala”. During these days the objectives of the project were presented to CONAP and the fishing community of El Quetzalito. The support obtained for this project will allow, during the coming months, to carry out several workshops with the fishermen and local volunteers. In these workshops the participants will receive different trainings in elasmobranch monitoring, as well as manuals and materials necessary to carry out the monitoring of elasmobranch.
