BajaNomad - Aquaculture project in full swing in Asuncion

Aquaculture project in full swing in Asuncion

shari - 6-23-2008 at 02:07 PM

Today I saw a sign up on the new aquaculture lab here in Asuncion..."OYSTERS 40 pesos a dozen"...yahooooo. So I went and the man working there was terrific, he gave us a tour of the installations, we saw all the larvae...tanks etc...he explained the whole process and even looked at the critters under the microscope and saw a video he has...it was really interesting...they have seeded an area here with oysters, abalone and mano de leon (lion's paw scallops,which is a totally amazingly delicious scallop). It is a family business and looks like it's gonna be a winner. Before we had to go to La Bocana for oysters so it will be terrific to grow them here.

woody with a view - 6-23-2008 at 02:09 PM

and the price sounds very good, also!

good luck to them!!!

Sharksbaja - 6-23-2008 at 02:31 PM

Shari, are they "line-seeding" for growing. These are imo the best as they tend to be less gutty, sweeter and harbor less trace heavy metals and other stuff filtered from the bottom or near bottom environment.

I hope the warm water sp. are not exposed to problems facing PNW culturing labs. A toxic to oyster larvae bacteria is killing off lab reared larvae with devastating effects. It is a relative of one that regularily closes the recreational fishery. It's a normal inhabitant of these waters but not in great numbers.
More on the story

Cypress - 6-23-2008 at 05:28 PM

Aquaculture!

Decent oysters are getting to be a scarce commodity.

Wish 'em luck with their interprise.

Diver - 6-23-2008 at 05:45 PM

Hmmm, roysters on the half shell !! Wonderful news !
Between those and the new bar in town, my property taxes may go up !! :lol:

Sharksbaja - 6-23-2008 at 06:06 PM

I'm looking forward to trying them.

DianaT - 6-23-2008 at 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Diver
Hmmm, roysters on the half shell !! Wonderful news !
Between those and the new bar in town, my property taxes may go up !! :lol:

Don't get too exited about the new bar---it was a one weekend of a flurry of activity----so far, no more unless something has happened in the last three weeks. :lol:

shari - 6-23-2008 at 07:37 PM

ummmmmyummmmm...ecstasy!!! Lovely sweet little morsels...very clean and full flavoured...and should get better and better...good thing is the water is colder here so they should grow well. I liked the neat tour they do too..something else to do here.
By the way, the new mayor just got sworn in a couple hours ago...it was tense for awhile but there were only a few hecklers and that was it. whew..guess I didn't need my bullet proof vest after all.

Gadget - 6-24-2008 at 11:45 AM

So Shari, how long does it take for them to grow to market size?

If the post by newbie memo on global warming is correct and Baja is inundated by the rising Ocean waters you guys will all be under 10 feet of water there in short order.

Maybe the aquaculture farm should be moved to higher ground now before its too late :rolleyes:

[Edited on 6-24-2008 by Gadget]

Sharksbaja - 6-24-2008 at 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gadget
So Shari, how long does it take for them to grow to market size?

[Edited on 6-24-2008 by Gadget]

Two years.

Bob and Susan - 6-24-2008 at 12:09 PM

no that's for you sharkman :lol:

Bob and Susan - 6-24-2008 at 12:10 PM

oh wait you ment for the thing to grow :lol:

NOT being UNDER WATER !!! :lol:

Gadget - 6-24-2008 at 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob and Susan
oh wait you ment for the thing to grow :lol:

NOT being UNDER WATER !!! :lol:

Good thing you guys built a light house tower.
Soon you wont have to climb all those stairs and you can offer dive service to look around at the rest of the place that is now a living reef. :biggrin:

Cypress - 6-24-2008 at 01:46 PM

Oh Well!

Oysters are special little critters.

Ever coonied-up a sackfull along the edge of the marsh down in the bayou country?

Ever opened/shucked a gallon of 'em.

Makes your shoulders hurt, but it's worth it.

shari - 6-25-2008 at 07:36 AM

thanks for our concern Gadget...good thing we live up on the rock cliff! The aquaculture place is high on the cliff too so whew...no sweat! I'm gonna take some pics of their operation to post. Aquaculture is becoming popular in this area probably because of the nice cool water much of the year and protected lagoon at GN. I'm glad they have a huge seed reservoir for the abalone just in case something goes wrong and kills off the existing abalone....stitch in time....

BirdDog - 6-25-2008 at 11:14 PM

Forget the oysters. Have you had the manos de leon yet? I hope they have a bunch of those when we come down. I"ll fill up on those for days. Well those and Tecates.

Russ - 6-26-2008 at 08:09 AM

Mano Leon... My favorite! But they are usually very expensive here if you can find them. So I buy the Catrina scallops instead at a third the price. They're the small ones that are the size of a mini marshmallow. Great for pastas or tooth picks. I like them flash cooked in butter and garlic but a little sherry sends them to heaven. Or add holandaze (sp), sour cream & small button mushrooms for a something fun for a dip. Sprinkle with green onions. Drool :yes:

Sorry, I shouldn't have highjack Shari's Post

[Edited on 6-26-2008 by Russ]

shari - 6-26-2008 at 08:39 AM

yeah Russ...keep your drool out of my thread :barf:

(the barf was the closest smiley to drool!!!) kidding of course...I think the Mano de Leon take alot longer to grow so maybe not this summer, but next year for sure!
Other developments on the Asuncion front.....yesterday a very suave Engineer from La Paz stopped by to see us. He showed us an impressive plan to build ANOTHER hotel...across the street from the one going up now! It appears that the ejido members are going to get an exhorbitant amount of money very soon and this project is one funded by this money. It is a beautiful design.
Other news is...which will make our neighbourhood happy is the BAR near our place is supposed to be open for the fiestas in mid August!!!! yippeee

Sharksbaja - 6-26-2008 at 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Russ
& small button mushrooms for a something fun for a dip.

Sounds great but where do you get those button shrooms in Baja?

Lions' hand? Pray tell? Not those geoducks, Vergas de elephantes? :lol:

shari - 6-26-2008 at 01:24 PM

gracias sharkman for the laugh of the day! Good thing the moderator board cops don't speak coloquial spanish...lions paw scallops are IMHO THE best seafood there is...a huge sweet scallop that melts in your mouth. The shells are a gorgeous deep dusty pink and orange or maroon inside...they look like the Shell Oil logo shell and are particular to this area.

BirdDog - 6-26-2008 at 01:43 PM

OH YES very tasty they are.

Asuncion Aquaculture

Skip_Mac - 6-26-2008 at 08:01 PM

Sheri...
That;s wonderful news about the aquaculture, shellfish are much better products with a minimal environmental footprint compared to some other industrial aquaculture...Still I am concerned about the infections which seem to be spreading along the west coast, affecting some shellfish.
My fingers are crossed and I hope your local efforts are successful for both the environment and your community.

Your's is a special place (in time and space) here's to no one spoiling it's charm before I can visit.

Live Happy,
Skip

BirdDog - 6-26-2008 at 08:11 PM

The smaller the foot print the better in my opion. I hope to be able to slide into the culture and not be to noticable. Asuncion is heaven as far as I am concerned.

shari - 6-26-2008 at 08:12 PM

Cheers Skip and welcome aboard! No worries mate...this place will dazzle you as it does nearly everyone who has braved the bumpy road. One of the neat things these guys are doing is storing huge amounts of abalone seed in the event that some natural cause kills off the local abs here...so they can re seed the area..they will also seed known abalone areas so they produce more too. I think it's a wonderful idea because our village really depends on the abalone resource and if that goes down, the town will really suffer so it's good to have a back up plan ready. The big lobster kill off last year in Abreojos really scared alot of folks and luckily didn't get to here but it sure was close! Good thing we have that cold current...you should see our kelp beds this year...they are huge!

Iflyfish - 6-26-2008 at 08:22 PM

Northern waters off the Oregon and Washington coast are becoming increasingly more acid, this acidity is causing porblems with the shells of clams, oysters and other mollusks. You are fortunate to live in an area that still has somewhat pristine waters and a community will to protect its acquacultural resources.

Now, Lion Paw Scallops are terrible, awful, unpalatable and distateful. Do not eat them.....save them till we get down there and can adequately assess their current culinary status before doing in any more of these creatures.

Iflyfish

Sharksbaja - 6-26-2008 at 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Iflyfish
Northern waters off the Oregon and Washington coast are becoming increasingly more acid, this acidity is causing porblems with the shells of clams, oysters and other mollusks.

Iflyfish

Rick. are you talking about the demoic acid events related to an algal bloom or are you addressing the "acidification" of the oceans due to carbon dioxide?
They are equally harmful to bivalves and mollusks.
Both of these play into the entirety and multitude of problems are oceans are experiencing. Ontop of that, we have a mysterious "dead zone" occuring due possibly to a culprit related to vibrio sp.. A relative of this sp. is poisoning oyster larvae in PNW breeding farms.

We've got some serious doodoo happening out there amigo.
I fear that evidence may conclude mans' heavy hand has added undue weight onto an already precarious scale thus tipping the balance of life. :no:

On the bright side....... it was SUNNY today! :lol: