Less than two weeks to go in BCDC…
By Steph Remion, BV Belize Volunteer, Sarteneja, Belize. Less than two weeks to go in Bacalar Chico Dive Camp (BCDC)… Belize it or not, despite living in wooden huts, washing with cold water, and having only three hours of electricity...
Would you BELIZE it???
By Gaz Phillips, Expedition Leader, Sarteneja, Belize. Would you BELIZE it??? A manatee or two or three or …………….. The weather can sometimes blow hard on the Caribbean coast making diving the outer reef a little treacherous. Despair not as...
Descending the mighty Mangoky
By Alasdair Harris, BV’s Founder and Research Director, Antananarivo, Madagascar The mighty Mangoky river, perhaps best known for its rich mangrove delta bordering the Mozambique Channel, is Madagascar’s biggest, starting its journey in the central highlands near Fianarantsoa, descending between...
BV Hosts Annual Open Day
By Kame Westerman, Velondriake MPA Project Coordinator, Andavadoaka, Madagascar. On Saturday, February 26th, Blue Ventures hosted an annual Open Day celebration in Andavadoaka to showcase our work to the local communities. In the BV classroom, marine conservation videos captivated audiences...
BV Belize Primary School Teaching in Sarteneja
By Sarah Adams, Expedition Manager, Sarteneja, Belize. The theme for BV Belize primary school teaching session this expedition was conservation and natural resources. We accompanied 25 pupils from the Standard V class at Sarteneja’s RC School to Shipstern Nature Reserve...
BV Belize joins Seagrass Net Survey
By Sarah Adams, Expedition Manager, Sarteneja, Belize. Blue Ventures Belize staff and volunteers joined the Belize Fisheries Department in January’s Seagrass Net survey. The Fisheries Department have a base in Bacalar Chico, at the San Juan Ranger Station, and Blue...
Blue Ventures helps local tour guides refresh their first aid skills.
By Garry Phillips, Dive Manager, Sarteneja, Belize. Four members of the Sarteneja Tour guides association (STGA) recently took part in the Emergency first responder course. They require a First aid qualification to be able to renew their guides licence. BV...
Boka boka, coffee and a long wait…
By Charlie Moffat, BV Volunteer, Andavadoaka, Madagascar. Turtle hunting is illegal in Madagascar, but despite this, BV have found that a huge amount of turtle hunting continues – the estimated catch of turtles in Southwest Madagascar is between 10,000 and16,000...
Latest from Velondriake – octopus reserves open and community-based monitoring gets underway
By Kame Westerman, Velondriake MPA Project Coordinator, Andavadoaka, Madagascar. On Saturday, Feb 5th, four temporary octopus reserves in northern Velondriake opened after a two month closure. The reserves were officially opened with a blessing from the ancestors and well over...
A Belizean adventure
By Jodi Burley, Blue Ventures Belize Volunteer.
Where the trees have teeth…
By Charlie Gough, Marine Research Coordinator, Belo-sur-Mer, Madagascar. The word “swamp” conjures vivid images of squelching muddy bogs, sulphurous eruptions, and mosquitos laden with fever inducing parasites. However the mangrove swamps of western Madagascar have a much more ethereal quality...
Blue Ventures hosts guests from neighbouring Comorian islands
By Kame Westerman, Velondriake MPA Project Coordinator, Andavadoaka, Madagascar. The success of Blue Ventures and Velondriake in southwest Madagascar has garnered growing interest from other conservation organizations wanting to learn about community conservation in this context. Recently, we had two...
Velondriake General Assembly meeting – local governance in action
By Kame Westerman, Velondriake MPA Project Coordinator, Andavadoaka, Madagascar. The Velondriake marine managed area is governed by representatives from each of the twenty-five villages that are encompassed by its boundaries. Twice a year, these 65 representatives come together to take...
Diving, Dolphins and a Discodoris!
By Charlie Gough, Marine Research Coordinator, Belo-sur-mer, Madagascar. Christmas and the New Year was an eventful time for the Blue Ventures Belo sur Mer dive team. Joined by Andavadoaka staff member Goff and BV veteran Dr Garth Cripps, the Belo...
What is the probability……?
By Charlie Gough, Marine Research Coordinator, Belo-sur-mer, Madagascar. The last week of November, and the dust bowl city of Toliara was the location for the 1st Parfish workshop to be held in Madagascar. Parfish, a participatory approach to stock assessment,...