Governor's Meeting

The local news reported on the Governor's meeting last week. Apparently he held a second meeting on Salt Cay, where he was met with the same sort of anger. The audio in a couple of the interviews in the report is absolutely terrible. I can't believe they aired it that way.

Governor's Meetings
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4qqiFkEh0A)

Aquaculture

I came across a report on Channel 4 News about a plan to open a lobster farm in the TCI. The report indicates that the top person at the DECR (Department of Environment and Coastal Resources) is in support of the idea and enthusiastic that the research is being fully funded by Darden Restaurants (which includes Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and others).


Watch the video here:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i6iAkaY02A)
The Director is quoted as saying:

The DECR only has one scientific officer responsible for fisheries, so collaborating with Darden saves us money and time and provides us with expertise. I cannot over emphasize the benefits of research. We can ask the scientists to collect information on additional parameters and use the data for modeling the TCI Fishery.

I'm stunned. Did this guy ever question this corporation's motives? The Darden Group has a direct interest in seeing that aquaculture is implemented, so I'm sure we can count on their "scientists" to find that it will have no detrimental impacts on the environment.

Fish farms are notorious for being environmentally disruptive. It's logical to assume that raising captive animals for consumption would be better than catching them in the wild - you are in a sense protecting the "natural" ecosystems by only consuming the captive animals. But these farms have all sorts of problems, such as breeding disease that can affect wild populations, polluting surrounding waters and destroying habitat, and reducing available prey in the wild. This is the case for farmed Salmon and I assume much of it would apply to lobster too.

I won't take the position that lobster farms should not be opened here though. Not without first seeing a study (an honest study) that says it shouldn't be. The current industry is struggling and something needs to be done. There are serious concerns (both social and ecological) for the way things are being done now. The amount of the catch and the size of the lobsters is lower every year, and the South Caicos community is entirely dependent on the fishing industry. If farming could be done with minimal environmental impact and deliver real social benefits to the community, I would be in support of it. But just I don't trust somebody like the Darden Group, which is so blatantly interested in one outcome, to conduct an honest study.

Suzie in the News

Suzie's in the news yet again. It's part of channel 4's South Caicos reporting. Since I last wrote about her, she's made it back to the exact location where she started, the location that is believed to be her permanent residence. She's been there for about 3 weeks, but I keep checking on her. The researchers told me they think she might actually come down to South because this is where the fishermen brought her and where she was tagged. They were speculating that this location is somehow recorded in her memory and she might feel compelled to return, despite the trauma she experienced here.

Suzie's Home

I mentioned that I gave some of my footage to the reporters last Sunday, but that I hadn't seen any of it used. Well, they used a lot of it in this piece on Suzie. Almost all the clips and one or two of the photos were taken by "yours truly." I feel like it really helped make for an eye catching segment. Watch it below:

Suzie in the News
(despite what the report says, she's a Green Turtle, not a Hawksbill)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQOggf--JeQ)

It's only slightly relevant here, but I thought I'd mention it because people asked me if I care that they used my footage without paying me (or even crediting me). I gave my videos willingly because I wanted to see them used. I didn't care much about compensation in this case. I'm a believer in Creative Commons licensing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_commons) and "copyleft" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft). I do think it's okay for people to own and sell intellectual property (that's what allows for most high-end media to be created), but way too often people are over protective of media they'll never be able to sell (or don't need to sell) and it stifles the creative production people are capable of given abundant open-source media. It would have been nice to have been credited though. Okay, I'll step down off my pedestal now.

Copyleft

You can also watch an older story about Suzie from around the end of December before she had made it home:

Suzie's Journey
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RaN12FJ5lY)

In the News

A few reporters from the Turks and Caicos "channel 4" news were on South over the weekend. Their website (http://wiv4.wordpress.com) says they're committed to bringing news from every area in the Turks and Caicos. This week South Caicos is being featured. So far they've aired reports on the lack of development, the struggling fishing industry, and our very own School for Field Studies. When they were here, one of the reporters asked me for some of my underwater footage, but I haven't seen any of it used yet.

SFS on Channel 4
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKoGiHjg1pg)

In another video, South Caicos fishermen plead for government assistance. They're sure to emphasize, however, that they're looking for help for native fishermen.

Struggling Fishing Industry
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LlsnCdw92Q)

Hard Times on South Caicos
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gAkoArsqw)

Today's video (above) is about the neglect of South Caicos infrastructure and development, especially after the 2008 hurricanes. It paints a picture of hard economic times for South Caicos residents. The piece provides a view into the struggles and frustrations residents have felt here. It also, however, gives a glimpse into local attitudes towards Haitians - one resident complains about aid that has been given to Haitians (presumably referring to the recent earthquake relief), when the people of South Caicos never saw that sort of support after the hurricanes.

To really drive home how people here feel about Haitians, though, watch the following segment they did back in January. It's pegs the troubles of the fishing industry squarely on the "foreign fishermen."

Foreign Fisherman
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3O1DU9_nf4)