Fish Cay

I was invited to go along on a turtling trip today. The destination was Fish Cay (a small island South of here frequented by the fishermen) and Middle Reefs (a series of patch reefs between Long Cay and Six Hills Cay). I got the day started early and was down at the dock waiting a few minutes before the arranged time (8am) this morning. In typical island fashion, though, we set out around 10:30 after running several of errands.

The boat was called "El Cacique" (or "The Chief")

The wind was out of the West today, so the water was very flat behind Long Cay. When we were passing through, I was hoping so much that we'd see the whales. We were in one of the DECR boats instead of one the School's boats, so our range wouldn't have been so limited. I kept an eye out all day, but unfortunately we didn't see them.

The water didn't stay flat all day though, and made much of the ride quite jarring as a result. It wasn't possible to stand (which allows you to absorb much of the shock in your legs), so I just had to sit tight was the boat slammed against the waves.

When we arrived at Fish Cay we went to shore briefly to check for nests. The Turks and Caicos isn't a very popular nesting area (likely due to over-harvesting in the past), but there are a few beaches that are regular nesting sights. I didn't know it until today, but adult females can lay eggs as many as 8 times a year. Though, most years they do it far fewer times and often not at all.

We didn't find any nests, but we did find some tourists that came over for the day from the nearby (and privately owned) Big Ambergris Cay. I bet they came halfway across the world (on a private jet, no doubt) to have that beach to themselves, and there we came trudging over the hill salty and disheveled. You wouldn't have believed the number of diamonds this lady had on her finger - an essential accessory of sunbathing.

We "manta towed" around Fish Cay for a couple hours. I was a little wary of manta towing in that area because of the reputation it has for sharks. The fishermen claim to see Tiger Sharks around there, and it was there that the recent attack happened. Being pulled around by a boat makes you feel a lot like bait. Luckily we didn't see anything more than a Nurse Shark (which do not have teeth and are not predators). We did see lots of Eagles Rays though (which, of course, are harmless).

I had 4 turtle sightings (all Hawksbills) and we had 2 captures. The two that got away may have just been one that got away twice - it was a fairly big Hawksbill both times. I captured the first one (the smallest of them all) with ease. It could barely swim faster than me with it's tiny little flippers. It only took about 10 seconds to get him.

My little Hawksbill. We'll call him Felipe.

The other one that we caught at Fish Cay was also a small Hawksbill, but he really ran for it. He was also in much deeper water, so getting to him was much more difficult. We slipped free from each of our hands once and really tired us out before Tom finally brought him to the surface.

Tom's Hawksbill. We'll call him Manuel.
(Hawksbills often have dirty, algae covered shells).

We wrapped things up at Fish Cay and headed over to Middle Reefs. It's not far from Six Hills Cay (which from our angle looked more like 7 or 8 Hills Cay). I'd never been to that area before. Visibility was quite bad today (likely due to the Westerly wind), but it's probably usually really nice. We only had 1 sighting there, but it was a successful capture. Tom nabbed a little Green that was not much bigger than the one Jessee got last week.

Tom's Green. We'll call him Gustavo.

Releasing Gustavo
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx68ajLMNWM)

Bonnethead

We decided that the Hammerhead Jessee saw last Friday was actually a Bonnethead. It seemed funny to us that it was so small (other Hammerhead species can reach sizes of 12 to 20 feet!) and that she initially mistook it for a Nurse Shark. Hammerheads are one of the most distinct looking sharks you can find. So we looked through the ID book and found the Bonnethead.

From certain angles, it's understandable that a Bonnethead could be confused with other round-headed sharks. Photo from Reef Fish ID.

Bonnetheads and Hammerheads are a members of the same family, Sphyrnidae. But Bonnetheads don't get to be anywhere near the same size - usually about 2-3 feet. They also have an oddly flat shaped head like Hammerheads, but it's rounded at the front rather than broad.

Photo from: http://marinebio.org/

Photo from: http://marinebio.org/

Bonnetheads are a viviparous species, which means that it gives birth to live young. That seems like a very strange thing for a fish to do. But they don't raise or protect their young after birth. The ID book says they give birth to up to a dozen foot-long pups. The book also describes their teeth: "The front jaw teeth have narrow and erect smooth-edged cusps, those on the sides are oblique and smooth-edged, and the posterior-most teeth are broad and flat ('molar-like')." Sounds odd for a shark, I wonder what they eat.

Bonnetheads are pretty uncommon around here, so I'm super jealous I didn't get to see it. And we're both disappointed that we didn't have time to stop and watch it longer.

Turtle Tagging

We had the chance to do some more turtle capturing today. This time Jessee got to bring one in. The group got three in all - two small Greens and one big Hawksbill. Jessee spotted the Hawksbill first and called us over for the chase. And chase we did! We were after it for probably 50 minutes or more. The water was really rough and Jessee and I followed it from one end of the bay clear across to the other side. The big ones can go longer without getting tired because it takes them less effort to move a given distance. I got really tired and called to the boat to shuttle me ahead. Jessee kept on its tail and kept on eye on it.

It was heading out towards deep water, so I dove down in front of it and tried to scare it back in the other direction, but it was determined to get out there. It was around this point that Jessee looked to her side to see a Hammerhead. A Hammerhead! I was oblivious. I didn't even know about it until well after things settled down. She says it was a really small one, a juvenile less than a meter long, and that it took a few seconds for her to realize what she was looking at. She kept her eye on the prize, however, and kept following the turtle.

At this point we'd been giving chase for quite a while and were completely knackered (so was the turtle though). I decided to call to our boat to radio the other boat for assistance. It's a good thing too. Jessee really needed a break. By this time the turtle had made it to significantly deeper water (about 30 ft) and wasn't far from drop-off. Fortunately John, a practiced free diver and the fastest swimmer of us all, arrived with the other boat and took over. It took him another 15 minutes or so, but he finally got it. He was in water well over 100 feet deep and just waited at the surface until it had to come up for air. When it started coming, he dove down and grabbed on. He didn't say, but it must have taken him for a ride. It was so big that it wouldn't have been possible to overpower it in the water. The only thing you can do is hold on and point its head where you want to go. You face the head upwards and it brings you up for air. Then you just have to keep its front flippers out of the water until the boat gets there - easier said than done when the water is as rough as it was and turtle is as heavy as it was (it weighted 32.5kg, about 71lbs.!). But we got there quickly enough with the boat to get it on board. In the process though, it bit John and nearly got a couple more of us. It wasn't major, but these big turtles can really do damage if they try.

Back at the Dock

The Hawksbill had a strange spike in it's neck as if it had mistakenly swallowed something sharp. It was old, though, because the skin was completely healed around it.

We removed it and cleaned the wound.

Measurements

We took this one to the dock straight away to take measurements and samples. I stayed to help with that and the others went back out in search of more. They eventually came back with two little Greens, one of which Jessee spotted, chased down, and caught all on her own!

"Pearl" - Jessee's little Green

Pearl weighed less than 5 lbs!

Waiting to go home.

The other little Green was missing a back flipper. It's not uncommon to see turtles missing limbs, but this one looked like a birth defect rather than a wound because there was no scaring.

Without ever trying it, you'd think there'd be no way humans could keep pace with a sea turtle. And certainly when they sprint we can't, but we're surprisingly good at out running them over long distances (especially if you can keep them come coming up for air that often). I once heard a story on NPR about humans being particularly well adapted for running marathons and, in fact, can even out run horses in a distance race. The same goes for sea turtles, I guess.

The Release

p.s. If you've been wondering about Suzie, she's still at home in the Black Rocks Bay area of East Caicos. I've been checking her location periodically to see if she's coming down to visit South.

Licensed to Kill

I've mentioned that I've pretty much given up on the Lionfish hunting, but we recently became licensed TCI Lionfish Hunters. The DECR created official regulations for catching Lionfish and so the School put our names down on the application for permits.

It looks like somebody forgot what year it is because the expiration date preceeds the issue date.

The Governor

His Excellency The Governor Gordon Wetherell (as he is called) was on South Caicos tonight. Such a formal title, however, did not impress the unruly mob that turned out. They were angry with an array of issues, and they let the Governor know it. They shouted at him, talked loudly over him, and pressed him over and over when he gave answers they did not like (all the while at least one inebriated man walked around the room with an open container). Since the British deposed the elected Premier, overturned the government, and suspended the constitution of the TCI last summer, things seem to have only gone downhill.

Anti-government rallies have been in the news recently.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJe4H6b6jrg)

The top issue (by far) was a recent decision to cut the pay of all government workers by 10%. This measure was taken in an attempt to reduce the country's deficit, and (I suspect) is a major reason for the recent anti-government protests. The people in attendance were relentless in their attacks about issue. Person after person stood to challenge the government officials on this, and with each one the whole community in attendance shouted in support. At a couple points it seemed as though the whole thing was going to break out into a riot. People were shouting from the back "get out of this country!" and one man told the Governor over the microphone that his administration was worse for the people of South Caicos than Hurricane Ike had been (the crowd exploded in cheers over that one). Eventually the member of the administration who was fielding the pay cut questions starting to respond simply by saying, "I'm not sure there's much more I can say on the topic."

News Report on Paycuts
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSj0mVfWtrY)

This seemed to diffuse the situation. After they had gotten it all out of their system, the mob calmed down and more sensible questions were raised. They asked about the depressed fishing industry (of particular concern here on South Caicos). The Governor responded that low market prices for seafood in North America were the cause of the struggling industry and that they were looking into expanding exports to European markets where prices remain higher. He gave no indication whether or not they were addressing the issue of low catch due to environmental degradation.

They asked about assistance for families still displaced since Hurricane Ike nearly two years ago, to which the Governor responded with a promise to look into assistance. And they asked about development of the South Caicos airport (which will be necessary if the two tourism developments are ever to go into operation), to which they responded that they are looking into restoring a plan that was put on hold during the transition.

I had half a mind to raise the question of whether or not the TCI would sign a financial transparency agreement with the United States to crack down on tax evaders. Had I known the this townhall was taking place, I might have come prepared to do so. But I wasn't even aware the Governor was going to be here. I only found out because I was jogging by and recognized him standing at the podium. I was sweaty and thought I'd look a little funny addressing the highest government official in the country that way.

The Sacred Queue

Being a British Overseas Territory, I would have thought that the Turks and Caicos Islands would have mastered the art of line standing. The British, as well as us Americans, will instinctively form lines whenever the opportunity presents itself (sometimes for no reason at all). Apparently the Empire failed to export its appreciation for the orderly "queue" to its Caribbean territories.

Standing in Line

Here in the Turks and Caicos, when important business needs to be conducted by many at a single point of service (say when banking or visiting the clinic), people form more of a mass or cluster than anything from which a system of priority can intuitively be drawn. Instead, who has priority seems to be based upon one's own self-assuredness, sense of entitlement, or the audacity to step forward before others. This presents an array of anxieties, frustrations, and downright confusion among those of us unaccustomed to such methods.

Standing in lines is ingrained so deeply in our social code of conduct that we find ways of simulating it when it becomes impractical to physically do it. When there is the potential for an inordinately long wait (e.g. at the DMV) or when layout does not lend itself the formation of a line (e.g. at the Deli), we use numbered ticketing systems that allow for virtual queueing. Absent of such technological aids, we will carefully take note of each individual that arrived before and after ourselves, creating mental queues according to length of time served standing in wait. "I'm sorry, yes, you were here before me. I believe it is your turn to go next." In the Turks and Caicos, however, there appears to be no such socially agreed upon self-ordering. Or, at least, I have not yet figured out how such things work here.

This morning I went to the bank (which, by the way, is only open for half a day each week). For weeks I've been trying to get a $5 money order so that I can renew my driver's license. The Washington State Department of Licensing will not accept cash or credit payments. In my opinion, checks are out-dated and I don't use them. All but once or twice a year, this isn't a problem. But we're still in a technological transition period where some are slow to let go of antiquated systems. Until paper checks become completely extinct, I'll have to deal with these periodic (though increasingly infrequent) headaches over their necessity.

Western Union and the Post Office don't sell money orders and, after waiting for nearly an hour in line-less chaos, I was simply told at the bank that they won't sell them to people who are not "customers." Apparently, the desire to purchase a money order is not sufficient qualification for the title of customer. I'm not sure at what stage in the process of purchasing something one becomes a customer, but I seem to have missed a very important step this time around. With my failure to earn the credentials necessary for the purchase of a $5 money order, I simply went home. What's next? I'm not sure. But I miss my bicycle, and I'm happy to say no driver's license is needed for that.

Culture Day

Yesterday was "culture day" on South Caicos. Every year the Russian Doctor (this is how everybody refers to the island's only doctor) organizes a festival to celebrate the cosmopolitan mix of cultures here. There were three main events: a parade, food, and talent. Representatives from each nationality had a table and provided food typical of their country. Each item was on sale for $1 and the proceeds went to the Soroptomists women's group (yesterday was also International Women's Day).


The Parade
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-YDVZprqK8)
There were 8 booths in all: Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guyana, India, and ours. Our booth, of course, could be further sub-divided into 8 countries (USA, UK, Italy, Austria, Holland, Hungary, Spain, and Ecuador), though we only provided dishes from the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy. Not represented were the Canadians (who chose not to participate after they thanklessly did much of the work preparing last year's event), the Philipinos (who won last year's "best food" award), and Trinidad (for whom there was a booth, but no representative). To say the least, South Caicos is an international community.

Various Booths

Setting up our booth.

To represent the United States we provided Apple Pie (for which Jessee toiled in the kitchen much of the day and for which I sliced an unacceptable number of apples), cupcakes decorated like the flag, and "pigs-in-a-blanket." I wasn't sure how comfortable I was with my country being represented by something so uncultured as pigs-in-a-blanket, until our first customer. A woman from the neighboring Bahamas booth came over before the event had really started and exclaimed, "I wanna try a pig-in-a-blanket!"

Making square pies.

Flag Cupcakes

It was also one of the students' birthday, so Jessee made this TCI flag cake.

The United Kingdom was represented by Scones (which I didn't even realize were British) and Italy was represented by Bruschetta (which Marta resourcefully made without tomatoes). The food I liked best at the event was the Indian. They were very generous too. For only 1 ticket, they gave an entire plate of rice, curry chicken, and an egg pastry. I also tried some Haitian salad that seemed to be made more of chili peppers than anything else. I wished I had had appetite enough to try more, but I had already eaten dinner not that much earlier.

The Indian food was the best.

The talent portion came next. Some performed songs and dances that are traditional in their country (a dance by a couple Haitian women). But most just performed something that would probably be considered international popular culture (our students sang "No Woman, No Cry," some TCI kids danced to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Beat It"). The sound equipment was so poor, however, that it made much of the singing difficult to bear - there was screeching feedback, flat sound, and it was all far too loud. The best performances, therefore, were the ones that just involved dancing to recorded music. Not all of it could be attributed to the PA equipment, though - I included a sixth grader's saxophone performance in the video below just for good measure.


Haitian Dance
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9-ZPgC35jk)


"Thriller"
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTmt6odb68o)


"Beat It"
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5OU-4Mwy9k)


The Saxophone
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNVcjvTaKcM)