Puerto Rico Asset Value -- Fishing with Andy and Yamil

Fishing with Andy and Yamil
James Cox

The early bird gets the worm!

Paulina and I started our day early, meeting at Andy’s house at

5:30 am. Both Andy and Yamil were fast-paced and eager to get their equipment situated aboard the boat so we could get to the boat ramp.

The boat is powered by a 4 stroke Yamaha 115hp motor. We were surprised to see a 4 stroke motor because they are more expensive than their 2 stroke counterpart. Andy explained that he received a discount on his motor because he is a commercial fisherman. In talking with other fisherman, the general consensus on which kind of motor is better still seems to be cloudy. It seems much like a religion and personal preference as to which motor a fisherman prefers over the other. The jury is still out on this one.

There was a few heavy items like the yellow scuba tanks that

required two people to safely load and unload from the boat. The wooden speargun rests on a custom rack on the port side gunwale (left side of the boat). The a long line, attached to the diver, is also attached to the orange buoy which is thrown in the water and acts as a visual surface marker while the diver is beneath the surface. Rubber mats on the deck help secure these items while we were underway.

This ankle bracelet repels sharks from the area by use of magnets. The strong force emitted from the band overloads the shark’s senses and repels them away, keeping the diver safe. Among sharks, Andy mentioned the constant interactions with other large marine life such as whales and dolphins, which put the diver at risk of getting his lines entangled.

Andy was first in the water, staying submerged for about 45 minutes. Once he returned to the surface with a heavy catch bag, Yamil assisted him in pulling aboard both the fish and the heavy scuba tank. It was amazing how they performed all day without much talking, simply working off of each others body language and simple gestures. They were truly operating as if it was second nature.

Paulina and I were impressed with the amount of fish and lobster Andy and Yamil caught. Amidst the hot Puerto Rican climate, Yamil stayed cool and protected from the sun by wearing a hat and special breathable face mask. Also, though a long shirt may seem counterproductive at first thought, we learned that the water soaked nylon shirts keep the diver cool onced surfaced. It is amazing that they are out in sun so intense for up to 6 days a week, vulnerable without cover. Some boats had a canvas top to provide shade; however, Andy’s did not.

The fish are gutted and cleaned while out at sea, however; the remnants cannot be tossed into the water because the blood will attract sharks. Instead of keeping the waste, Frigate birds come to the rescue, scooping up every fragment tossed at them. It was amazing to see humans working in such a symbiotic way with other forms of life. The birds got a free meal, and we got free trash removal!

With such a great day of fishing, Andy needed to remember the coordinates of the spot we were on. To plot and keep track of his best spots, Andy uses a Garmin GPSmap 527 unit to mark his tracks. The unit is permanently fixed to the boat and monitors water depth, boat position, and allows for storage of information to refer to in the future. This unit proved invaluable for both safety and productivity.

With a great day’s catch, it was time for us to head back to the dock, hall the boat and bring the fish home so that a buyer could come to pick it up.

Puerto Rico Asset Value -- Learning about Ornamental Fishing

Learning about Ornamental Fishing

Meg Lidrbauch

While Oscar, Mika, Anna, and Cesar were living it up on Mickey's boat, Becca, Paulina, Jamey and I drove up to Rincón to speak with Gary, an ornamental fisherman. The main difference between ornamental fishing, where fish are sent to pet stores for aquariums, and consumption fishing is that the catch has to be kept alive. This means that Gary can't touch the fish, as that would remove their protective slime coating and expose them to infection, and needs to ascend slowly giving them enough time to acclimate to the change in pressure. Gary and his partner are the only people in the Rincón area who SCUBA dive, with the others using lines.

Gary was clearly infatuated with his job, and enjoyed explaining to us how his system of tanks and filters worked, and how he ships the fish to his buyers in the mainland. A native of New Jersey, it was refreshing to talk with someone where language was not a barrier at all, and all of us walked away with as many pages of notes from the single visit as the past day and a half combined. He asked if we would be back, and seemed eager to remain a part of the project.  

Puerto Rico Asset Value -- Going on the Boat with Mickey

Going on the Boat with Mickey

Anna Knapp

This afternoon a subset of our team (Cesar, Mika, Oscar, and I) went back to the Villa Pesquera (the gathering spot for the fishermen near the dock) with the intention of observing what happens when the fishermen come back from a day of fishing with their catch. One of the SCUBA fishermen, Mickey, showed us his catch for the day - spiny lobster. Somehow this ended up with Mika and Cesar piloting Mickey's boat out to look at the famous lighthouse of Cabo Rojo. Oscar did not get seasick (as he threatened he would many times before the trip) and ended up surprising us with his seafaring skills (apparently he learned to sail on the Charles River while at MIT). Despite all of the fun we were having, we did manage to get some work done. Oscar and Mika recorded the motor sound to use as a comparison for motor vibrations. We are grateful to Mickey who was so kind to take extra time after his day of fishing to take us out on the boat. He seemed to get a kick out of the voyage and is eager to continue working with us.

Cesar and Mika posing with Mickey's catch

Team member's Mika and Cesar learning new skills. Thank's Mickey for sharing with us!.

Puerto Rico Asset Value--Conociendo Panas

First Blog Post! Getting acquainted with our users in Puerto Rico

Visiting Andy's house

Anna Knapp

This morning we visited the home of one of our users - Andy.

He let us come to his house to see his setup for filling SCUBA tanks. We were immediately struck by his organization and expertise but mostly the giant tortoise (also named Andy) in his backyard. He also had a goose and a smaller turtle named Mia who was the cutest thing until she peed all over me.

We got to see and hear about his compressor, equipment and special certifications regarding filling the SCUBA tanks. He demonstrated how he made special mixtures of enriched oxygen to help with the long dives required by commercial SCUBA fishermen, who dive to depths of up to 110 feet to catch lobster and conch, among other species. We also took the opportunity to take vibration data from his compressor using the piezoelectric sensor from the demo we brought.

Andy explaining us how his compressor system works

Mika collecting vibration data with the piezoelectric sensor 

  

Our team with Andy and Andy the turtle

      

Andy shared some of his stories about dealing with the health effects of scuba diving. He told us about the bends incidents that he has had and how he thinks it is responsible for his progressive vision loss. He also shared more tragic and vivid stories about fellow divers, including his best friend, who experienced air embolisms and collapsed on the boat and died. These stories were echoed by many other SCUBA fishermen including another user who lost his nephew in the same way.

In spite of losing friends and his vision to diving, Andy was very excited to be teaching us about his work and was curious about the work we are doing. He left us with a very special gift - seven lionfish he had caught. The lionfish is an invasive species so it is new to the cuisine of Puerto Rico. We were very lucky to have it prepared for us by a small family restaurant right around the corner from our apartment. The chef, Walter, was very excited to make it for us because it was the first time he had ever cooked it. It was a new experience for all of us and we really enjoyed it! 

A wonderful dinner. Thanks Andy and Walter!