The end of the road

Well, the time has come for all of this to end and I am about to pack my bag up for the last time on this trip. Tomorrow (Weds) is the last full day of my 2006 Winston Churchill Trust travelling fellowship and I will be winging my way back to Heathrow (via Chicago) on thursday morning. Alas my friends, this will be my last posting on this blog site....

Almost seven weeks ago I left the UK (after a somewhat troublesome start), flying to the USA (Chicago and Dallas) on the way to Santiago in Chile. From Santiago I headed south to Puerto Montt in the lake region before travelling back to the north via Concepcion and Santiago, to La Serena. To finish my Chile leg, it was back to Santiago and then onwards to Quito (via Guayaquil) in Ecuador. From the highlands of Quito I headed down to the tropical lowlands of Guayaquil where I attended a conference and took several trips out to the coast and country (Montanita, Valdivia, Rio Chico, Machala and Jambeli Island) before heading back to Quito for an unexpected 2 day stopover and a trip to Palallacha high in the Andes. Then back to Guayaquil for the flight out to Tucson via Atlanta. By the time I arrive back in the UK, I will have boarded 17 flights via 10 major cities. I must say that I now need a break from flying!

All in all, anyone who has been keeping up to date with this blog will have realised that I clearly have had the time of my life. The travelling was at times intense and tiring, particularly with regard to the altitude of highland Ecuador and the very busy schedule of meetings, talks and field visits that I wanted to build into the trip. I feel however that it has all been worth it and I really have learnt so much during the past 7 weeks, both in terms of my scientific endeavours but also about the balance between what scientists like me like to do and what is really needed by people, particularly those that live in countries such as Ecuador (still considered to be a developing nation). I feel that the experience has brodended my horizons considerably, particularly with regard to the role that aquaculture plays in feeding the world. I would guess that like many, I have been influenced by the media on aspects such as the ethics and environmental sustainability of aquaculture. However, seeing operations first hand within these producing countries, a few things are now clearer to me:

1. Violations of land use have occurred in the past and habitats have been lost but measures have and are being established to ensure environmental sustainability into the future (e.g. mangrove clearance was stopped in the mid 1990's and many areas have reseeded).

2. The industry employs a large number of workers - Ecuador has four major exports (shrimp, flowers, cacao and oil). Continued production and export of these products are vital for its fiscal stability.

3. There is not enough fish in our seas, rivers and lakes to feed the growing global population. This issue will becoming more acute in coming decades. Aquaculure is here to stay and rather than resisting its development, we need to find ways to ensure its environmental and ethical sustainability.

4. We (the EU) are a net importer of food (including protein from fish). We require product to be produced and imported into the EU by nations such as Ecuador. Without such imports we will have to find ways to produce the food on our own land. It is unlikely that with the size of the EU popultion (500m) and the amount of unpopulated land available that this is possible.

5. The aquaculture industry in countries such as Ecuador is maturing and is learning from the mistakes and bad practices of the past. I believe that it is the duty of net importing countries such as our own to assist this improvement by providing the expertise to ensure sustainability (e.g. advice on best practice, disease controls, limiting antibiotic usage etc.). Given that we need these products, it is appropriate that we assist with their production and the minimisation of their impact, socially and environmentally.

6. Aquaculture is expanding in Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East (the latter areas being relative newcomers to the global industry). With careful expansion and adherence to good practice, this should be seen as promising news. As above, we need to assist with production and management of risk within these regions since it is likely that the products produced there will end up on the European plate.


Finally I want to sign off with a very big 'thankyou' to everybody that I have met during this amazing trip. Travel for me is not about seeing a particular town or 'doing' a landmark (please don't ever use that term near me since it annoys me intensely!). As a result, I don't often plan these things into my travel since I am very much more interested in the people that I can meet and the stories that they can tell me about life in the place that I am visiting. I have learnt so much about the culture of my temporary home simply by talking and listening to what makes people here laugh and cry. My most direct route to the culture however has been via the food. Once again, those that have kept up to date with the blog will have heard about the array of animals and plants that have been consumed along the way. Of particular note the filter feeders of Chile and the furry critters of Ecuador. I have eaten and drank some amazing things and have enjoyed talking about them (and their parasites!) to my hosts while doing so. Once again I apologise to Alyson about the guinea pig...

Oh, and of course I must show my deep gratitude to the Winston Churchill trust for making this trip possibe in thre first place. For those of you who are interested in the trust or are keen to apply for one of their travel fellowships, you can find out more at: www.wcmt.co.uk

So, that's it. Adios amigos and many thanks to you all for keeping tuned in, reading about my adventure and leaving your comments over the past weeks. I really look forward to seeing you for a beer (or at least a real cup of tea) in the UK.

Hasta luego!

Grant

p.s. It also turns out that the language barrier between an Englishman with poor Spanish and a Latin American with poor English are not half as high as between those that don't want to talk and those that don't want to listen. Working in this region however requires a better grasp of the language and I vow to improve in time for my next visit (I have already promised the Chileans that my next talk in their country will be in Spanish!).



Pescaderos and pelicans, both waiting for fish (Quintay, Chile)



Pelicans are found all along the Pacific coast. Beats a seagull any day!



A perfectly good view of Coquimbo harbour spoiled by man with hands in pockets...again (must resolve to take a different pose in similar shots in the future).

Cast netting to check shrimp growth in the ponds on Jambeli Island.



Yes, they've grown. Right then. Lunch.



The town of Montanita...where waves come to shore all day long. Lovely.



I know what you are thinking - Hardly the right attire for hunting monkeys



Would you let the man on the right cook you dinner? I did. He gave me guinea pig.
(the skewer size is somewhat disproportionate to the subject, no?)

Coming to America

A late night flight from Guayaquil delivered me to Atlanta early on wednesday morning. Waiting around til lunctime for the onward 3.5 hr flight to Tucson, Arizona was pretty tiring, especially considering my lack of sleep on the flight out of Guayaquil. The US customs were also unsure of my new haircut, stating that I looked different to that on my passport. They did however eventually let me though were questioning about reasons for wanting to spend time in South America. It seems that global travel security is getting much tighter, especially when entering the US.

Anyway, the weather in Tucson is great. In the mid 80's and clear sunny days at this time of year (apparently the summer here is pretty unbearable with searing desert heat and temperatures regularly over the 100f mark).

I was collected from my hotel on friday morning by Prof Don Lightner, a shrimp pathologist and a central figure in the field of crustacean pathology. He and his team are responsible for a large amount of literature on the subject over the last few decades. Don heads the aquatic pathology unit in the Department of Veterinary Science at the University of Arizona, the OIE reference laboratory for most of the diseases affecting the global shrimp industry. Those that have read previous entries will understand how important disease is to the industry (it is estimated that the White Spot Virus alone has caused over $10bn is losses since the late 1990's). The laboratory here carries out a range of research projects for existing and emerging pathogens and also provides a service to the industry in terms of disease diagnostics and advice. Over the next week or so I will be speaking to the pathologists and molecular diagnosticians at the laboratory.

Adios mitad del mundo!

I have had a great last couple of days in Ecuador. On Monday morning I flew back in to Quito for a trip to a rainbow trout farm 4000m up in the Andes north of Quito. I was collected from the airport by Dr Fabio Sala and his wife Cynthia. Italians by birth and an echinoderm (starfish) developmental biologist and an embryologist, respectively, by training, they co-run Biomix, a feed formulation company providing the trout industry in the region. Flying back in to the city at 3000m reminded me of the effect of the altitude experienced earlier in the trip. This time though there was no chance for acclimatisation as we headed northeast from Quito, and much higher up into the Andes. The scenery was spectacular…the same mountain range as we saw down in Chile but this time there was no snow…the mountains instead carpeted by lush grasslands and forest, even at 5000m above sea level.

After a couple of hours we reached Papallacha (pronounced ‘papayakka’), a tiny village and home to the trout culture research station run by Pedro Manuel Santistevan (you’ll remember his name from earlier in the blog). The research centre is supplied by hot and cold water springs straight from the Andes range and is of an excellent quality for trout culture. Pedro and Fabio proceeded to show me around the facility where I was lucky enough to have my first go at ‘stripping’. Naturally I was nervous, not wishing to embarrass myself with my lack of experience. However, keen to not let the side down I soon had my hands on one of the local females, a mature, plump specimen who luckily had benefited from a general anaesthetic in clove oil before I got my hands on her.



The trout research station at Papallacha. The 'hills' in the background are about 4500m above sea level. Beyond them in the clouds is a volcano that stands another 1000m above this. A pretty nice place to work.


While there may be those reading this who may be getting worried that I am about to illustrate the blog with unsavoury photographs of the episode, the more astute amongst you will have realised that ‘stripping’ is indeed a wholly organic way to collect sperm and eggs from the farms broodstock fish for onward breeding and for stocking the farms in the region. After a couple of attempts I soon had the hang of it and was collecting thousands of eggs from each female specimen. The males were next but I thought it best to let the experts handle these….



A broodstock female, ready for 'stripping'



The process of egg collection from the female. Like I say, I drew a line at the males.



After a few weeks of magic...the fry appear. These are then grown on in the ponds until they are ready to make ceviche.

Continuing the theme from my trip to the prawn farm down in the Mangroves on Monday, lunch of course consisted of the locally produced organic trout, served ‘ceviche’ style with tomato, onion, lime and coriander. Lovely.

In the afternoon we headed back through the mountains and stopped off at one of the local trout farmers that Fabio provides with food. The scenery in the valley was reminiscent of the Scottish highlands, with a temperature to match. Quite a different sensation from being in the tropical climate of Guayaquil that morning! The farmer soon had us warmed up however with his local brew of wild fruits plus unknown extras. Just the confidence I needed to show my affection to one of the alpaca that were wandering around the farm (see above).

Next day was to be my final day in Ecuador and I must say it is pretty sad to be moving on from this amazing country. When I read about Ecuador’s biodiversity (officially the most biodiverse country on earth) I had pictured massive swathes of lush, humid rainforest that fulfilled this status. However, the reality of the country is quite different. Despite there being plenty of rainforest (it houses the eastern portion of the Amazon in the so-called Oriente region), the biodiversity comes not only from here but from the sheer variety of different habitat types that are found in what is essentially a very small country. You can travel from 5000m in the Andes to the tropical coastline within 30 minutes by plane, in doing so crossing lush lowlands and river valleys. Heading to the coast you move though dry scrub and fruit plantation into dry rainforest and mangrove. I did not even get to go investigate what lives below the waves, but with the much-publicised Galapagos just 600 miles offshore, the biodiversity of the aquatic habitat is also second to none. It truly is a special place and you can see why Darwin got so excited when he visited the region back in the 1800’s.

Just before heading out, I visited the Ministry of Environment in Quito to discuss a project being funded by the World Bank that is attempting to preserve this delicate habitat before the ravages of tourism and over-fishing blight this jewel in the South American crown. The project is interesting since it requires a careful balance between the fiscal requirements of a developing nation and the necessity to preserve what the tourists come here for in the first place. Issues such as ‘biosecurity’ were raised (the Galapagos has few natural predators and the introduction of vermin via tourist boats are a real threat to long term sustainability). For those in Cefas with an interest, expect some follow up from this meeting.

Finally, I would like to thank all of those new friends that have helped me to navigate and communicate my way through this amazing country. In particular, to Claudia Musello (ESPOL), Dr Sam Stern (CENAIM), Dr Stannislaus Sonnenholzner (CENAIM), Dr Paola Calle (ESPOL), Dr Sonya Mendoza (CSA), Alex de Wind (Bravita SA), Pedro Manuel Santistevan (CENAIC), Dr Fabio Sala (Biomix), Matt Hopkinson (Inspectorate), Leonardo Mariduena (Inspectorate), Colin and Nick Armstrong (Agripac SA). I hope that I can return the favour to you all one day.

I am heading to the USA tonight for the final week of my trip. I am bracing myself for a culture shift as I drop down into the states but am looking forward to spending some time at the University of Arizona where I will visit the excellent prawn disease research and monitoring facility run by Prof. Don Lightner.

I will see you when I get there.



I'll sign off with one last picture of the Iguanas in the park in Guayaquil.

Hasta Luego Ecuador. I’ll be back!!