Fishing for Cutlassfish
Persons driving into Chaguaramas in December 2020 and January 2021 were greeted with the sight of numerous fishing vessels operating close to shore in the vicinity of Alcoa and in William’s Bay. Enquiries by any curious onlooker would have revealed that they were fishing for “cutlassfish” in the late evenings, nights and early mornings. I myself was intrigued by this activity having never seen so many vessels operating in that area. On one occasion, I counted as many as 80 pirogues. Since then, I have fielded numerous questions from both colleagues and the public about the particulars of this fishery and the role of...
The Water Quality at Maracas, Las Cuevas and Chaguaramas during the ‘Stay at Home’ COVID-19 Pandemic
Prepared by Sheldon Ramoutar, MicrobiologistInstitute of Marine Affairs The COVID-19 pandemic is currently changing the way we live our daily lives. No public gathering, and social distancing has been in effect since late March 2020 and has left our environment untouched. Around the world, reports have shown cleaner air quality in large cities and countries like the United Kingdom China and Spain due to the drop in carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions. There are also reports of better water quality in places like Venice and the Ganges as the watercourses are now more transparent with visible aquatic life. In Trinidad and Tobago, numerous beaches are continuously...