Catt-Trax 2 - Chile

Wildlife of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Danny Catt — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:18:04 -0800

Guanaco, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Torres del Paine National Park is most famous for its glaciers, lakes and mountains but within its boundaries this diverse national park has a great variety of both flora and fauna.

Guanacos in Chile's Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park

The most abundant large mammal is the guanaco, a wild relative of the Llama and Alpaca found further north in the Andes of northern Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

Grey Fox, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

In terms of carnivores there are two species of fox and I had some great views of one species, the Gray Fox, on a couple of occasions. The most feared predator in the park though, at least by the Guanacos, is the Cougar (Puma concolor). The Cougar of Patagonia, also known as the Mountain Lion, is the very same species that is found in British Columbia.

In fact, the Puma has the widest distribution of any carnivore in the western hemisphere!

Buff-necked Ibis, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

There are more than one hundred species of bird in the park ranging from the flightless Lesser Rhea, to Flamingos, to the largest flying bird in the world, the Andean Condor.

Andean Condor, Patagonia, Chile

Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia

Danny Catt — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 12:02:49 -0800

The Towers, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

If you were to mention the words Chile and Patagonia in the same sentence the image that immediately pops to mind for me would be the three towers (torres) in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile’s Patagonia.

Torres del Paine, Patagonia

The first time I saw a photo of the three towers was when I received a postcard from an Italian friend of mine, Fabio Stedile. I met Fabio, and his climbing partner, Fabrizio many years ago in the Bugaboos, a provincial park in the south-eastern corner of British Columbia. Fabio and Fabrizio were world-class mountain climbers and they were in the Bugaboos planning a first ascent (or a new route) up one of the granite spires that draw climbers from around the world to Bugaboos every summer.

We became friends and a year or two later I had the great pleasure of visiting Fabio and his family in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy. Every year or two after my visit, I would receive a postcard from Fabio, from some exotic locale with a photo of Fabio and Fabrizio’s latest summit. Unfortunately though, the same mountains that Fabio loved to climb, took his life. Ironically, it was on one of the peaks of Patagonia that Fabio lost his fight with the mountain.

So it was for personal reasons that I had a strong desire to gaze upon the three towers in Torres del Paine National Park. And, luckily for me, the weather cooperated wonderfully during the time of our visit.

Torres del Paine was declared a national Park in 1959 and in 1978 was recognized by the United Nations as a Biosphere Reserve. It is recognized for its amazing landscapes and diverse flora and fauna.

Eco-Camp, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

The wind can howl during the summer months in Patagonia and the first night that we were there was no exception. We were staying in an ‘Eco-Camp’, strategically located with a fabulous view of the towers. This camp is a great example of a sustainable tourism operation. Rather than providing fixed roof accommodation, the camp guests sleep in large domed tents. They are very solid though… and they effectively withstood the gale force winds that seemed to want to lift our tent into orbit during the night! The camp is also very environmentally friendly. They use solar power, composting toilets and the place is spotless. I have to thank Trish from BikeHike Adventures for arranging our stay at the Eco-Camp.

Eco-Camp, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

The winds had died down a fair bit by morning and our guide Cem decided to make a quick change

of plans and do a hike up to the lookout point below the Torres, rather than our planned general tour of the park. It was a fabulous walk! We climbed up onto a plateau and down the valley before turning ‘up’ to reach the viewpoint. We passed other hikers from at least a dozen countries… including Canada, the US, Israel, Germany, England, Switzerland… and many others. In fact Torres del Paine National Park is one of Chile’s most popular tourist destinations… at least for the active traveler.

I love to hike but I admit that there are two things that will give me that extra incentive to make the final push to the top or the end of the trail… one is a lake with fish (I love to fish) and the other is a view worth photographing (I am a keen photographer).

Trish & Cem and the Three Towers, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia

I was huffing and puffing as we made our way up along the trail and around the boulders on the last stretch up to the lookout. But when we finally reached the ridge, my oh my it was worth it! Directly above us the towers stood in all of their glory! Although my view was from the bottom, I could see how these magnificent spires and the landscape in general would draw climbers like Fabio to this part of the world. I can just imagine what the view from the top would be like!! I said a quick prayer for Fabio, then turned and headed down the mountain.

Penguins Penguins Everywhere!

Danny Catt — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:02:40 -0800

Magellanic Penguins on the Southern Coast of Chile

When we disembarked the MS Prinsendam in Punta Arenas, Chile the winds were howling at speeds close to 100 km/hour! The ocean was a sea of whitecaps and the seabirds were being blown around at the will of the gusts. This is undoubtedly the windy part of the continent! A new guest lecturer was boarding the Prinsendam for the sector down to Ushuaia, Argentina (in Tierra del Fuego) and on to Antarctica so my friend Trish and I arranged to do an overland jaunt across the Patagonian region of Chile and then up to Iguazu Falls, on the border between Argentina and Brazil.

About an hour’s drive from the town of Punta Arenas, Chile at Otway Sound, is a readily accessible penguin colony which we wanted to visit… so we booked transport and away we went. What a fabulous opportunity!

There are seventeen species of penguin in the world, and they live exclusively in the southern hemisphere. The one species that is a slight exception to this rule is the Galapagos Penguin which nests just north of the equator on one of the islands of the Galapagos Islands archipelago (off the coast of Ecuador). The Emperor Penguin, the species that was made famous by the fabulous film, “The March of the Penguins”, is the species that nests closest to the South Pole (and the Emperor is also the largest and heaviest penguin) while most species breed at more agreeable latitudes.

Magellanic Penguin

Through my travels I have had the good fortune to see penguins in other parts of the southern hemisphere including New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, but apart from the Galapagos Penguins (which I saw last year in the Galapagos Islands) these Magellanic Penguins were my first South American tuxedo birds.

A Preaning Penguin

It was such a treat to watch the adults body surf their way to shore, ride the waves, manoeuvre their bodies and slide into shore (sometimes tumbling and crashing into shore). Once safely on land the first thing they would do is preen (clean) their feathers (penguins spend a lot of their time taking care of their feathers). Then they make their way across the beach, and finally march one by one across the grass to find their burrows and to feed their young.

Magellanic Penguins Crossing Open Ground

The Magellanic Penguin is a common summer resident in Patagonia. Their breeding grounds are scattered along the southern Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Chile and Argentina. They also have important breeding colonies in the Falkand Islands (Islas Malvinas). This Otway Sound colony has an estimated population of about 4000 birds.

Penguin Parents Preaning Their Chick

The penguins are here to breed. The cycle begins in September and lasts until March. Being late January now, the chicks are getting bigger and they need a lot of food. To satisfy their hearty appetites the adults must go out to sea frequently to forage. There key food items include squid, prawns and a range of small schooling fish (jack mackerel, anchovies & sardines). These are the very same species that are presently being harvested in huge quantities off the coasts of Chile, Peru and Ecuador to feed the needs of the fish farming industry. These small pelagic fish are processed into fish meal, which is then used to feed the salmon and trout being raised in fish farms in different parts of the world including British Columbia. If you want to read more about the relationship between penguins, pelagic fish and fish farms, read my previous Blog post.

The Fjords of Chile

Danny Catt — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:50:53 -0800

Southern Coast of Chile

If you have ever journeyed along the Inside Passage on the central coast of British Columbia and up into Alaska, or if you have cruised the fjords of Norway, then you will have an inkling of what the southern coast of Chile looks like.

Glacier on the southern coast of Chile

Glaciation carved these fjords and we had a chance to see some of the glacial tongues that come down from the peaks to meet the sea. As in many parts of the world though the glaciers in southern Chile are retreating rapidly. Whether it is due to human caused climate change (global warming) or due to one of the planet’s natural cycles of warming and cooling … or a combination of both I am not sure. But, I am one who prefers to follow the precautionary principle… if we don’t know for sure let’s do whatever we can to change the trend!

If you are curious to learn about climate change I encourage you to check out a number of sources. You can look at the Environment Canada website, you can read Global Greenhouse written by Greg Cairns, BCIT’s Environmental Education Coordinator, on Catt-Trax2 Global Connections (under Global Warming). I would also highly recommend you watch the movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' (now available on DVD) and check out the associated website at www.climatecrisis.net.

Some of you might be thinking, and rightly so, does your journey not contribute to climate change (with all of the traveling you are doing)? And the answer is yes. However, I am pleased to be able to say that one of the supporters of Catt-Trax 2, Eagle Eye Tours based on Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is making my journey ‘carbon neutral’.

If you want to learn more about how this works, read Making Global Connections with Tourism, Cam Gilles short essay on Catt-Trax2 Global Connection (under EcoTourism).

I look forward to learning more about the effects of climate change here in the southern hemisphere when I reach Antarctica in early March.

Fish Farms Here... Fish Farms There...

Danny Catt — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:11:19 -0800

Fish Farm on the Coast of Chile

Fish farming (aquaculture) is a billion dollar industry in Chile. Shellfish (mussels, Pacific oysters, & scallops) seaweeds as well as trout and salmon are all farmed here. In fact about 95 % of Chile’s aquaculture industry focuses on trout and salmon which are raised in pens on the southern coast of the country and then sold on the international market. You will not find fish farms on the northern coast of Chile because it is open directly to the Pacific but as you make your way down the coast you eventually reach the protected waters of the southern fjords (much like BC’s inside passage). There amongst the protected channels and inside waters you can see a great number of fish farms (that are raising the trout and salmon) as well as the associated fish processing facilities. The species raised in Chile are Atlantic, Chinook (King), and Coho (Silver) salmon and Rainbow trout.

Fish Processing Facility on the Coast of Chile

One would think (at least I did originally) that fish farming is a good thing. The human population on the planet continues to grow, and with more and more mouths to feed we need to find sustainable ways to provide high quality food to the human population.

But… does the farming of salmon make sense? Is it sustainable? On the coast of British Columbia conservation groups, and some members of the general public, are concerned about the impact and potential dangers of fish farming. Fishermen on the coast of Alaska are strongly opposed to fish farming and many are upset that the province of BC allows it to occur. There are concerns that diseases and parasites may be transferred from the fish raised in farms to wild salmon stocks (the farmed fish are raised in pens in very high densities and are susceptible to both diseases and parasites). Another concern is that one of the main species raised on the BC coast is not native to British Columbia (the Atlantic salmon is the most commonly farmed species on BC’s coast and it is native to the east coast – the Atlantic Ocean – not the Pacific coast). The issue of concern is what will happen when non-native Atlantic salmon escape from their pens (which they do frequently) and mix with the native wild Pacific salmon stocks? Up to now we don’t really know what the consequences and outcomes will be of these escapes.

Then… there is the issue of what the farmed fish are being fed – fish meal. Small bait fish (jack mackerel, anchovy, sardine) are harvested in huge quantities from the ocean off the Chilean coast. These fish are then processed and converted into fish meal which is used to feed the trout and salmon being raised in the fish pens. The fish meal though is not just fed to pen raised salmon in Chile, it is fed to farm raised fish in many parts of the world (Canada, Norway, Scotland, etc). In 2004 the value of the export of these bait fish to the Chilean economy was half a billion dollars!

From what I have read (and I am not a fish farm expert by any stretch) it takes about 3 kg of fish meal to produce 1 kg of farmed salmon. Does it make sense to remove so many fish from the sea to ‘grow’ other fish? Is that sustainable? We also have little knowledge about the potential consequences of these practices. How are we impacting the other fish and wildlife species in these coastal ecosystems? For example, how are we impacting the fish, mammals and birds that would typically feed on the anchovies and sardines that are no longer available because they are being harvested and exported to be fed to farm raised salmon? These are questions that likely many of us do not consider and that we really need to find the answers to. Something must be happening but because it is below the ocean surface, we don’t see the impacts.

Do you think there is a relationship between the fish farms in British Columbia and penguins in South America? If you would like to find out, read a brief article by Rafe Mair at:

http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/01/22/FishFarms/

Some of the fish meal that is used to feed the farm raised salmon in BC comes from Chile (and also from Peru). This relationship is a good example of a ‘global connection’ and is something that I did not know much about prior to coming to Chile.

If you want to know more about aquaculture (fish farming) in general you can do a Google search with words such as aquaculture, fish farming, salmon, concerns (and put in the different regions such as British Columbia, or Chile, or Norway).

Let me know what you find out!

Antofagasta Fish Market

Danny Catt — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:10:00 -0800

Fish for Sale, Antofagasta Fish Market, Chile

Ships filled with tourists rarely stop in Antofagasta, Chile but when they do they are welcomed with open arms. Antofagasta, is the largest city in northern Chile, and is a modern, clean and progressive coastal metropolis. It is also within the Atacama Desert and if you are looking for a place that receives very little rain, Antofagasta is it… the average annual rainfall is less than 4 mm.

Our plan for the day was to do a bit of shopping (I needed to pick up a field guide to the birds of Chile) and wander around town. Our meandering led us to the fish market… and where there are fish, there are often animals that feed on fish!

Sea Lions, Antofagasta, Chile

For a wildlife enthusiast the foreshore next to the Antofagasta fish market was a virtual Serengeti! Not only were there birds (pelicans, gulls, herons, etc) but also sea lions and even sea turtles.

Sea Turtle & Gull, Antofagasta, Chile

We went for a wander into the market itself where fish sellers were showing there catch and fish filleters (is that what you call someone who fillets fish?) were preparing the best cuts for sale. The place was also filled with cats waiting for a scrap to fall between the cracks. We were even allowed to sneak back into the area where the fish were stored and had a chance to get some fabulous photos of the birds looking to catch a free meal.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

It goes to show that you don’t always have to go far, or pay big bucks, to experience something special. The hour or two we spent at the Antofagasta fish market were as good as they come.

We boarded the ship in late afternoon and as we were led out of the harbour by the local port pilot boats the passengers and crew of the MS Prinsendam were treated to something I have never experienced before. A crowd of well over a thousand, all residents of Antofagasta, were lined up shoulder to shoulder along the shore waving and shouting goodbye (or adios!). It was a heart-warming gesture.

Residents of Antofagasta, Chile Saying Adios to the MS Prinsendam

The Driest Place on Earth

Danny Catt — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 11:29:29 -0800

Atacama Desert, Chile

Three months ago if you had asked me to name the driest place on Earth I would have said (guessed!) the Sahara, the Gobi or perhaps even Antarctica… and there is no doubt that it would have taken many guesses for me to even start listing places in South America.

But alas, when I stepped off the ship this morning in Arica, Chile I was stepping onto part of the Atacama Desert… some sections of which have not received a single drop of rain in over one hundred years! In fact some weather stations in the Atacama have never received any rain at all!

The Atacama Desert, Chile

I should probably fill in a few pieces of my journey. After leaving my amazing hosts in Pucallpa, Peru I flew back to the coast (to Lima) where I met up with a friend and boarded a ship heading down the coast of Chile. I was invited to be a lecturer on a ship (the Holland America, Prinsendam) which is in the process of doing a circumnavigation of South America (along with visits to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands). The lectures I am delivering have a natural history focus (birds, marine mammals, etc) as well as an overview of my Catt-Trax journeys (both my African trip from 5 years ago as well as the present one). Holland America has been very supportive of the Catt-Trax 2 journey and I have to thank both David and Holly in Seattle, as well as Peter on the Prinsendam. Muchas gracias! I know the ship (the Prinsendam) fairly well as I have lectured on similar natural history topics on her on other journeys on the Pacific & Arctic Oceans and the Caribbean Sea (I am a believer in the old adage, the best way to learn something is to have to teach it … and lecturing in different regions of the world has broadened my ecological knowledge and natural history background immensely).

Arica, Chile was the first port of call on the sector from Lima to Punta Arenas. Last fall a team of BCIT FWR students gave a seminar on Chile and how British Columbia compares in terms of natural history, wildlife, fish, and park values as well as conservation issues. There research is now on this website and you can read more about Chile by checking out: http://blogs.bcit.ca/catttrax2/south_america/chile

My goal for the day was to visit Lauca National Park high on a plateau near the border with Bolivia. Lauca National Park is a Biosphere Reserve and an amazing region of Chile. Within the park boundaries is Lake Chungara, which at over 4500 metres (14,900 feet) is one of the highest lakes in the world.

Lake Chungara in Lauca National Park, Chile

The long journey to the park gave me an opportunity to take in the amazing landscape. The Payachatas Volcanoes are the backdrop to Chungara Lake and along the lakes’ shores we saw vicunas and guanacos (both are wild relatives of the llama and the alpaca that I saw a lot of in Peru).

Vicunas in Lauca National Park, Chile

We climbed from sea level to almost 15,000 feet in just a few short hours. My body felt the change and I began to feel weak, I had no appetite and in fact began to feel nauseous – all signs of altitude sickness. Thankfully we were not at high altitude for too long and once we began to weave our way down in elevation I started feeling better right away. By the time we got back to sea level all was well.

Photographing at Lake Chungara, Chile (photo: Steve Green)