Tag: marine research

Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea….

by Caroline De Willebois, Blue Ventures volunteer, Madagascar Descending into the cool turquoise water below, I am overcome with that well-known sense of utter peace that accompanies the stillness and weightlessness of being underwater. After a few days of not...

/ May 14, 2012

Setting up and diving down

by Chris Miller, Blue Ventures volunteer, Belize We are two weeks into our expedition here in Belize and so far have already experienced one of the best celebrations in Sarteneja – the Easter Regatta. To celebrate the regatta we had...

/ Apr 18, 2012

When the going gets tough? The tough keep surveying: exploring the mangrove forests of NW Madagascar

by Dr. Trevor Jones, Remote Sensing Scientist, Madagascar The Blue Forests and Coastal Communities (BFCC) team is currently in transit on the long (>2500km!) road trip back to Toliara after a month long reconnaissance mission in northern Madagascar. We’ve been...

/ Mar 6, 2012

Girl power: the role of Ghana’s fishmongering women

By Mebrahtu Ateweberhan, Ghanaian Research Team, 21st Febuary 2012 It is early morning in Miemia Village, Western Ghana. The sky is hazy from the dust of the recent revisit by the Harmattan winds that mingles with the smoke coming from...

/ Feb 29, 2012

Different fish, same problems…

by Charlie Gough, Marine Research Coordinator, Madagascar& Ghana What makes two communities that live over 5000km apart and different oceans struggle daily with the same problems? When you know that both communities live in coastal villages where the population doubles every 20...

/ Feb 3, 2012

Weathering the storm

by Kame Westerman, Velondriake MPA Project Coordinator, Madagascar Although located hundreds of miles away in the Mozambique Channel, villages within the Velondriake Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) felt the effects of cyclone Funso’s outer edges last week. A recent report estimated...

/ Feb 1, 2012

Shark vs Cyclone

by Shanta Barley, Field Scientist, Madagascar What constitutes a duvet day for a Vezo shark fisherman? Not the threat of capsizing in seven metre waves, it turns out. Yesterday, Andava bay was peppered with pirogues en route to the Mozambique...

/ Jan 26, 2012

Starting out in Sarteneja

By Casey Lewis, Blue Ventures volunteer, Belize I arrived in Sarteneja, Belize a little after 5pm – just in time to watch the sunset creep over the small town. Sarteneja is right by the ocean with beautiful views of the...

/ Jan 10, 2012

A return trip….

by Jon Schleyer, Blue Ventures Film Maker, Madagascar Three years ago, on my first trip to Madagascar, I settled in for an exceptional adventure as I embarked on a pirogue (dugout outrigger canoe with a large square sail rig) to cruise...

/ Dec 14, 2011

A Different Point of View

By Ryan Vickers, Independent Film Maker, USA So I have been asked to write this blog, about the expedition, without guidance or parameters. Being neither a scientist nor researcher I no doubt have a different perspective than the rest of the team....

/ Dec 7, 2011

Studying the impact of overexploitation on coral reef fish communities

By Dr Yann Frejaville, Fisheries Scientist, Madagascar Acquiring better knowledge of the ecosystems we belong to is a clear goal for those who work towards the sustainable use of natural resources. Coral Reefs are incredibly complex ecosystems which we are...

/ Dec 2, 2011

Diving into the unknown

By Alasdair Harris, BV’s Founder & Research Director, Madagascar The vast reef systems that lie off western Madagascar are some of the least known coral reefs in the western part of the Indian Ocean. Shimmering mountains of calcium carbonate trace the...

/ Nov 21, 2011