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CONSERVATION IN ACTION
We are proud to support the Ostional Women’s Oyster Cooperative in farming the native tropical rock oyster (Striostrea prismatica). The program began three years ago, and each year brings new advancements. Through support from the Waitt Foundation, cooperative leaders Angelica Bustos and Antonia Vanegas recently spent two weeks visiting shellfish experts and aquaculture facilities in southern California. Paso Pacífico community ranger Yorlin Vargas, who works closely with the cooperative, accompanied them. It was an incredible learning experience, and together they toured five Southern California aquaculture farms and research facilities.
Their trip beg an at University of Southern California’s Philip K. Wrigley Marine Research Center on Catalina Island, where they learned about the life history of the oyster and ongoing shellfish research carried out by USC collaborators Nate Churches, Sergey Nuhdzin, and Dave Anderson. The women observed microscopic-sized larvae for the first time and were amazed to realize that the ocean water is teeming with plankton. The research tour continued with visits to other sustainable shellfish farms that kindly hosted the women and Paso Pacífico staff. At Carlsbad Aquafarm, the women spent two days doing hands-on harvesting and processing of oysters. At the end of the Carlsbad Aquafarm visit, they dined in a nearby restaurant on oysters they had helped to harvest. The women were impressed by the practice of eating oysters directly out of the shell, and they now plan to market their oysters in Nicaragua this way.
The trip continued to Santa Barbara, where the team spent a perfect day out on the water. With our friend Bernard Friedman of Santa Barbara Mariculture, they harvested fresh mussels and clams and learned about methods for harvesting shellfish in the open ocean.  Then they continued up the central coast to the Cultured Abalone Farm, where the group saw an impressive abalone and seaweed operation and learned that there are many types of sustainable ocean products. Their trip concluded with a visit to the Grassy Bar Oyster Co., where the women saw a new method for cultivating and processing oysters in Morro Bay. They expressed that this experience gave them the confidence to innovate and adapt their farming methods according to the conditions on the ground in Nicaragua.
Angelica Bustos, the cooperative president, said the visit was encouraging and helped her see herself as a genuine fisher: "Now I feel like a valued woman, since they took us into account despite the fact that we are women separate from their field. We saw that they gave us a good welcome everywhere, and now we intend to go forward and always be positive."
 Now that the visitors have returned, the cooperative has joined together to rebuild their ocean farm that was recently damaged in Hurrican Nate. The group heartily thanks the Waitt Foundation for supporting this visit. Yorlin put it this way: "I feel happy and sad to finish the trip. Thank you to the Waitt Foundation that made it possible, because throughout the trip we saw that one never stops learning. We saw many new things, and now we are leaving with new ideas about how to work and develop the project." Paso Pacifico would also like to thank each host for supporting and inspiring the women in their journey. We are also grateful to the oyster project donors, which include the Waitt Foundation and the Loyal Bigelow and Jedediah Dewey Foundation.
Top photo: Dave Anderson
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Marcos de Jesus Pizarro is one of our longtime sea turtle rangers. Since 2008, he has patrolled the beaches of the Paso del Istmo, monitoring turtle nests and protecting them from poachers. Leatherback sea turtles are his favorite local species, and he enjoys sharing with his family what he learns about ocean ecosystems. We value his hard work to protect nature and spread the message of conservation.
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Last month, Marcos' home was swept away by the flood in Ostional caused by Hurricane Nate. However, thanks to many generous donations we raised over $3000, which is being used to rebuild the Pizarros' home. In addition, Paso Pacífico was able to help distribute almost two tons of food to 220 households.
Thank you to everyone who has given to help Ostional recover from the floods, and special thanks to Dick and Nancy Noble and the American Nicaraguan Foundation for enabling the distribution of foods and medicines!
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We are deeply grateful for Dick and Nancy Noble's partnership with us and the people of Nicaragua. Through Proyecto Noble—Salud y Educación, they support more than 2500 local schoolchildren in the Paso del Istmo Biological Corridor with educational supplies and nutritious school lunches. The Nobles also helped us build the Ostional Library, support its full-time librarian, Anabel Chevez, and stock the library with high-quality books. The Nobles are hard at work planning materials for the 2018 school year to be sure that all children in the areas where we work are able to attend school. Proyecto Noble is crucial to our conservation programs because it increases well-being and educational opportunities across the communities and increases trust and understanding between us and our community partners.
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On the evening of Monday, December 4, the Thomas Fire began in Santa Paula, California. Strong, dry winds quickly spread the flames to Ventura, where Paso Pacífico's US office is located, and other neighboring communities. Along with smaller blazes in the region, this disaster displaced over 200,000 people and quickly made international headlines. As of December 14, the Thomas Fire is the third largest fire in California history and is still growing.
While Paso Pacífico's US office and personnel are safe, our thoughts go out to our friends and partners who have lost their homes. We are deeply grateful to the thousands of firefighters and emergency responders working night and day to protect our communities.
Above photo: Sarah Otterstrom
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PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE
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Our partners and hosts in California were instrumental in making the women's visit a success. The facilities and techniques they have shared with the cooperative have expanded the women's vision and technical expertise. We invite you to visit their web sites to learn more about our partners and hosts.
The Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island is part of University of Southern California’s Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies in Los Angeles. Their oyster crossbreeding and cultivation program is one of many projects continuing on and off the island.
Carlsbad Aquafarm, Santa Barbara Mariculture, Cultured Abalone Farm, and Grassy Bar Oyster Co. are family-owned aquaculture operations in Southern California with distinct aquaculture methods and business models. Collectively, they farm native oysters, abalone, and other marine life using sustainable and often pioneering techniques.
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