Marine Life in Baja California Sur
This past summer, I had the privilege of traveling to Baja California Sur, Mexico with Putney Student Travel. The trip’s focus was in marine biology, an area of science and environmental education that I had not yet explored. Alongside fellow students, guides, and natives who have dedicated their lives to learning about and helping their local environment, my passion for environmental action and advocacy took on a new and more personal perspective.
My hands-on experience with the wildlife in Baja allowed me to gain a new appreciation for and a deeper understanding of the many vital ecosystems that make up our beautiful and biodiverse planet. One day during the trip, we took kayaks and our snorkel gear out onto the shore and safely collected a variety of organisms in baths of seawater. We brought our findings onto tables on the beach and each chose one organism to research and then teach local children about. I chose the Sea Cucumber- a slug-like and slimy echinoderm found on the seafloor. I was pleased with my discovery as the name and appearance of the organism certainly lent a few laughs. Little did I know that this small and seemingly insignificant animal plays a large role in the health of marine ecosystems. Sea Cucumbers are deposit feeders; they feed on seafloor sediment and plankton and digest and recycle nutrients, dispersing oxygen throughout coral reefs and allowing them to work effectively. I wrote up a small description of the Sea Cucumber in Spanish (as best I could with the help of Google Translate) and taught the children who came to visit our little aquarium all about its importance. We then released the animals back into the ocean.
This experience taught me that every organism, no matter how small, contributes to the success of the environment, which means that every action we take to help our ecosystem matters!! This discovery was solidified on a two night excursion to the nearby surfing village of Puerto Marquez. In Puerto Marquez, we took a tour of Sol Azul, a sustainable oyster farm that specializes in the production of a new species of hybrid oyster. This type of oyster does not contain any reproductive organs, which means the whole oyster is edible, and there’s zero waste. Sol Azul uses solar panels during the day and batteries at night to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, and they grow plants on site to feed the oysters.
This inspiring effort--along with many others I learned about during my time in Mexico--is helping to bring back the abundance of wildlife that returned during COVID-19. While the world was under lockdown, there was significantly less waste (plastic pollution, greenhouse gasses, etc.) being released into the environment, and marine life thrived on the increasingly natural state of their habitats. Mexican businesses are committed to decreasing waste and fostering more sustainable consumption. If we focus on building up these businesses and efforts towards environmental sustainability, we will see the difference! My time in Baja was incredible, and I cannot wait to immerse myself further in the world of marine biology!
