Castle Island

A great way to begin our week was with a fishing trip aboard the infamous Belle. Captain Charlie gave us a lesson about how lobster traps work. Aidan and I were lucky enough to help hoist one each onto the boat, check what was inside and send it back. We learned that the lobsters travel backwards so they will climb into the trap and get stuck by the net that blocks them from walking back out. Although there weren't any lobsters in the traps we checked, we were able to catch a few crabs such as green crabs, baby spider crabs, and rock crabs. One of the green crabs were molting, which we were informed is around the same time the female crabs lay their eggs. The shell was very soft and squishy to the touch. Upon release we gathered at the front to enjoy the ride towards hull for fishing.

Team Fatima & Kharliyah

Out in the waters there was lots of fish activity. That morning my entire team was able to catch a fish, plenty of black sea bass, perch, tautog. I caught two fish that morning one black sea bass and one perch, both beautiful creatures with diverse colors and intricate patterns on their scales. The appearance of the sea bass is easily distinguishable, they are black or a dark brown and their dorsal fins have white spots. They are intimidating especially when they flex their fins. Meanwhile the perch's appearance was smaller, with a golden/green-ish tint and dark bands on its sides. I released them both after catching and helped others hook their bait. It took me over 5 years to become comfortable with touching a sea-worm. Just the sight of them makes my skin crawl, they look like water milipedes with tons of legs surrounding their bodies. Not to mention their two sharp teeth that come out when they feel threatened. They certainly are great bait to use because they were gone after fishing all morning, we had to use some squid too. I did not have as much luck catching anything with the squid.

We spent the next few days at Castle Island in South Boston. This was an interesting site to walk around and see the many people who come to exercise or simply enjoy the area for walks with their friends, families, and dogs. So many cute puppies and dogs showed out this week. The weather was perfect for a walk around the ocean and lunch at Sully's. We worked on a mural of the things we saw around the island, including Fort Independence. It is one of the oldest forts of English origin in the US, once used as a confinement for prisoners and training for local soldiers. On a regular day the fort would be open to the public where you can wander freely or go on guided tours. From above the fort has a distinct Pentagon/Star shape. Similar to the Charlestown Navy Yard, there is a Korean War Veteran memorial at the front of the peninsula.

Waiting to see what's next
-Kharliyah
Summer 2020

War Veteran

Castle Island mural

Fun Friday at Atlantic Wharf!

Touch Tank Learning!

Welcome back to Atlantic Wharf, we've missed you since last Friday. Let me tune you into what will be going on today: First we will greet the groups and have lunch, next we will give a history lesson with some demonstrations about Boston Harbor, finally we will split into 3 stations and rotate every now and then, so come on down and learn something new! 

Patrice and I are at the touch tank. We pull up the crab trap to find about 8 green crabs and put them neatly into the tank. We set aside the tank into the shade under the sign and strolled onto the green grass to teach the youth about the history of the harbor. Maxwilliams, our senior harbor educator, talks to the two groups of camps present about the travel of waste from your toilet to the Deer island treatment plant and into the clean harbor.

Crab Holding Expert.

We pledged to keep the harbor clean from here on out and for the next 6 generations because it is extremely important to be able to enjoy the resource and do activities out on the beaches and water. Patrice crowned everyone and after each person I would shout, "Hooray for the harbor!" We dispersed into our stations and our first group was excited to learn about our crabs. Though many of our pupils knew a little about crabs, they certainly did not hold back asking questions about them. We had actually only caught all female crabs that day except for 1 male towards the end. Despite the tank full of females the kids still learned how to tell the difference between genders. By the end of each session we had expert crab holders and a few names for some of the ladies in the tank.

Until next time,
Kharliyah

Welcome Back Kharliyah!

Excited

I am super excited to be back at Save the Harbor for summer 2017! I have so much to look forward to this year and meeting new people and making new friends. This is my second year working for Save the Harbor because I loved it so much last year and decided to return. I am 18 years old and a recent graduate from O'Bryant high school, moving on to MCLA as a freshman in the fall. I learned a lot from working at Save the Harbor last summer.

I'm at the All Access site again, can't wait to get back out to the islands and catch something. The looks on the children's faces warm my heart and I love how ready they are to learn about marine life and the harbor. I also am looking forward to learning more about Boston Harbor and the history around it and sharing it with everyone I meet this summer. Can't wait to share stories and facts about myself and Save the Harbor with everyone.

Here's to a hot, fun Summer!

-Khar

Tropical