Last Sunday a few of
us were able to take one of the Seamans’ small boats over to a motu called Tiputa
at Rangiroa. ‘Motus,’ are the emergent islands that form a larger coral atoll.
After a breathtaking church service, our second in French Polynesia, Gabby
Chavez and I made our way over to the Pacific Ocean side of the motu where we
perused a beach of coral rubble. Amongst the cobble-sized grains were a variety
of organisms, dead and living, including hermit crabs and calcareous shells.
There was also an extraordinary amount of garbage. It appeared to be foreign in
origin as most of it was so worn as to imply a voyage across seas from far
away. It was disturbing to witness the effect that our modern means of
production have on even the most remote environments on Earth.
Today we enjoyed a
sunset with schools of jumping tuna and dolphin in the foreground. Carefully
navigating the Seamans into the school, we cast fishing lines. It was not long
before we had a bite. We have spent the last several hours trying to reel in
what appears to be a yellowfin tuna over 100 pounds in weight. More news to
follow.
Salam,
-Andreas Ratteray
1 comment:
Will the crew be eating the tuna? Who gets to prepare it and how?
Hope to hear about it!
Also, thanks for signing the post!
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