http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4JQShOFw7k

The following Cacique update was written by Hana and Arie about Tuesday, July 19th. 

Today began with an unusual start.  Depending on our research groups we split up with morning starts as early as 4 am. With the sharks team leaving the earliest, and the lionfish and conch teams leaving next at 5, the aquaculture and flats team attempted to sleep in until 8am despite the constant bustling in the dorms.  Walking to the dining hall we smelled the aroma of a delicious breakfast consitsting of eggs and grits, after which the aquaculture and flats teams departed.

The flats team went on a down island trip stopping at Savannah Sound where we met with an interesting man who was a bonefish guide.  We proceeded to the sound where we seined and flyfished for juvenile bonefish.  After being hit with a downpour, we continued our trip to a reserve where we toured the trails filled with assorted types of bush medicine.  As a reward for maintaining smiles through one of the worst mosquito swarms we had experienced thus far, we stopped for an ice cream treat in Governor’s Harbor before returning to campus for dinner.

The aquaculture team began to cook a delightful meal of farmed cobia. The cobia was filleted and then sautéed in a butter sauce with peppers, onions, and garlic. The cobia was also cut into little strips, dipped in lime juice, and coated in coconut and flour, then fried in butter. The cobia was taken around Eleuthera and people were surveyed about what knowledge they had about aquaculture. Then they were offered cobia to try and rated it on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the best; luckily aquaculture mostly received 1s and 2s!

After everyone had returned to campus from their fulfilling days with their research groups, we had a cozy campfire with the South Eleuthera Kids Camp. First we played a game called Peeper and after that a fun and tiring game of Blob Tag. A warm and inviting campfire called all of us over for a quick game of Mafia. No campfire is complete without marshmallows roasted on a stick, and of course we all got a sweet treat to end the day. With gooey mouths and sweet thoughts, we all returned to our dorms for a solid nights sleep.