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Jensen Montambault climbs out of a small plane in
Entreríos. Photo Credit: Barry Chernoff |
It was hot and humid when we landed in Entreríos and after a week's delay, the scientists were eager to get out into the field.
"Where are the cast-nets?" cries Angel. We had only brought half of the equipment to our first sites above the Salto Pará waterfall to save space, and he was worried he would have to work 5 days without nets. After a quick scramble, we found them under a pile of limnology bottles.
Before going out to the field, we fit our lifejackets. Everyone, even the boat drivers, must wear them when the boats are moving. In Spanish they say, "más vale prevenir que lamentar," meaning, better
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Team leader, Barry Chernoff, helps limnologist,
John Sparks, adjust his life jacket.
Photo Credit: Jensen Montambault |
safe than sorry.
PEOPLE: Meet co-team leader, Antonio Machado-Allison.
TOOLS: Learn about the cast nets used for sampling fish.
SPECIES: Get a close-up look at the elusive Apareidon.
ISSUES: Hear the unique perspectives of women in science.
With only a few hours of daylight, we piled into the curiares, dug out canoes with the sides built up, and a 40 horsepower motor, and cross the Laguna Entreríos to a small creek called Caño Laguna.
I followed the invertebrates team, slogging through knee-deep mud as they scooped up leaf litter in nets and picked apart rotting logs. The catch is not good – one or two crabs.
But Célio Magalhães, crustacean specialist, told me, "It is all we can expect – crabs do not like this much mud." The fish team found a few crabs and saved them for Célio and he, in turn captured some aquatic insects for José Garcia. In this way the AquaRAP teams help each other out – and are happy to finally be out in the field!
— Reported by Jensen Montambault
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