All posts by Blue Ventures

Blue Ventures is an award winning marine conservation charity. We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities. On our Beyond Conservation blog you can hear voices from the front line of marine conservation written by our staff and volunteers.

From Ellie – All the better for feeling better

Thursday 13th December 2007Coco Beach, Andavadoaka18:52 (UK), 21:52 (Madagascar) Firstly, I’d like to say hi to Fiona’s dad if he is reading this.  Thanksfor listening in!  Now for the update: After feeling like death for 2 days and having half...

/ Dec 18, 2007

From Ellie: Back in Andavadoaka…after 4 years!

Wednesday 12th December 2007Andavadoaka –  Blue Ventures Research site 06:47 (UK) / 09:47 (Madagascar) Finally I have arrived and I feel awful.  I think I must have picked up something up in Tulear and for the first time in all the travels...

/ Dec 18, 2007

This week’s blog comes from Sheryl Dickey

I have just returned from a wonderful adventure with Bic (a Malagasy BlueVentures staff member) and Vanessa (a fellow volunteer) to a village downthe coast called Lamboara. The purpose of our trip was to do some sea grassmapping and to...

/ Dec 11, 2007

From Ellie: Logistics

Saturday 8th December 2007Tulear – Chez Lala – still!13:53 (UK) / 16:53 (Madagascar) LogisticsA week has passed and I am still in Chez Lala. It has gone quite quickly really and I have had done a lot whilst here; meetings...

/ Dec 11, 2007

From Ellie: Changes in Tulear

Thursday 6h December 2007Tulear – Chez Lala – still!17:00 (UK) / 20:00 (Madagascar) I thought today I would write about my reflections on Tulear. I have spent nearly a week here now and a lot of things have changed from...

/ Dec 11, 2007

From Ellie: Partner developments!

Monday 2nd December 2007Tulear – Chez Lala16:57 (UK) / 19:57 (Madagascar) You are probably now thinking I have no one else to speak to. You’d be right. My French is getting rapidly better – but my conversational level has only...

/ Dec 11, 2007

Volunteer Blog by Jane Westerman

Madagascar will change the way you look at the world. Guaranteed. After three weeks here, issues that I would fret about at home vanish into insignificance. The here and now is what is so important – sitting on one’s terrace after a busy...

/ Dec 7, 2007

Update from Ellie: Hot Hot Hot!

Sunday 1st December 2007 Tulear – Chez Lala 13:42 (UK) / 16:42 (Madagascar)   Oh my goodness it is hot.  Really hot.  Tulear may be only 500km south of Tana, but it is also at sea level and thus it...

/ Dec 6, 2007

Update from Ellie: Tasks in Tana

Friday 30th November 15:15 (UK) / 18:15 (Madagascar)   A day of driving all over Tana centre on errands; trying to get the freight released from customs has left me feeling rather tired, smelly, and dirty.  As a highly active...

/ Dec 6, 2007

Update from Ellie: My Arrival in Madagascar

Thursday 28th November 17:02 (UK) / 20:02 (Madagascar) I always swore to myself that I would never write a blog; it was too trendy, and perhaps reveals a little too much about a person, but today I have reassessed my...

/ Dec 4, 2007

Samosas by the sea by BV volunteers Alana & Rebecca

“Ah, farine” said the woman at the supermarket, scooping the half-kilo of flour Alana asked for into a plastic bag. We were picking up ingredients for our beloved fish samosas, the best street treats in town, and now we needed...

/ Nov 30, 2007

Staff Blog by Fran Humber (Marine and Fisheries Scientist)

Pirogues are the best way of travelling short distances out here and it was time to make the 40km trip north to Morombe. Our purpose: to collect all the shark and turtle fisheries monitoring data in each of the villages...

/ Nov 30, 2007

Volunteer blog by Isabel Butcher

I never understood how people on Big Brother, Ship Wrecked etc could spend so much time doing so little. Just sitting around babbling inanely to each other (the only apparent explanation being the evident lack of brain cells between them)....

/ Nov 15, 2007

Research trip to Belavenoke by BV Volunteer Kristy Benz

We meet outside the huts, ready to go. Our valuables (cameras, toilet paper and biscuits) are in dry bags, the rest of our supplies for the next three days are slung over our shoulders in backpacks. We’re off to Belavenoke...

/ Nov 7, 2007

Time for afterthought by Ida Vincent

Leaving Andavadoaka is hard for anyone who visits this unspoilt area of Africa. No matter how long you stay – 3 weeks, 6 weeks or indeed 9 months – it never feels enough. Coming back to the real world is...

/ Nov 2, 2007