By José Randrianarimanana, Madagascar
I was born in the coastal city of Toliara, home to the biggest fishermen tribe of Madagascar, the Vezo. Since a very young age, around 4 years old, my parents would bring me to the beach. At that time, around 1994, the coast of Toliara was so rich and diverse in biodiversity. Diverse species of sea cucumbers were found some meters from the coast, as well as varieties of crabs and starfish.
When I think about the ocean, I get a feeling of amusement, joy and family time. These first memories linked to the ocean were for me synonymous with family bonding and happiness.
When I grew up, I spent my teenage years with fishermen. I sometimes went fishing with them and played football with their kids, in the fisher villages of Ankiembe.
It always amazed me to see how fishery activities tie family together and strengthen teamwork between husbands and wifes. Their life was stress-free, being confident, God would always provide through the ocean.
As I grew older, my dad strongly encouraged me to pursue my education at the unique oceanographic institute in my hometown, the “Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marine”. In the beginning I was not happy with that, as I did not enjoy spending hours in class. But with time, I learned to enjoy spending time with my senior students, and I preferred spending time at the University Marine Museum or accompanying my senior friends to their field studies.
In 2010 I was doing an internship in “Water quality assessment in fishermen villages”. I had to assess the physical, chemical and biological quality of the drinking water. My daily schedule for a lab day would start at 5am, and with a cooler filled with sample bottles I would first take a 1-hour trip by bus to Ankilibe, which was my first stop. Then I would take one of those traditional canoes to the next village, Sarodrano, a one-hour trip approximately, depending on the wind. Walking through this village, I would then climb a hill to Saint Augustin, my last village. I would start sampling there around noon and start my journey back, trying to arrive in Sarodrano by 5pm so as not to miss the last boat to Ankilibe and the last bus from there to town. At the end, the cooler would weigh around 10 kilos, filled with samples for analysis. After setting everything up in the lab, a sampling day would last until the next day, at 2am.
“Journeys to the Sea” is a new series of inspiring stories that highlight the personal connections of marine professionals with the ocean. As a follow up to World Oceans Day on June 8th, WIOMSA is excited to launch a three-month-long celebration dedicated to the ocean. The series will feature 34 unique stories from across the Western Indian Ocean region. These stories will share firsthand accounts of ocean-related experiences, reflections, and narratives from participants who have been part of the Sida-funded International Training Programme on marine spatial planning, “Planning for a Sustainable Blue Future in the Western Indian Ocean”. The stories have been part of the Ocean Storytelling component of the workshop, led by Dr Mia Strand, Nelson Mandela University. Read the collection of stories here.
Feature photo: Feature Photo: Discussion with small scale fishers in Madagascar. © Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy
