This week I, along with two field assistants, Vera and Hannah, set up the second round of my exclosure experiments. This entailed scouting potential sites in the river, getting village approval from the headman, a lot of rebar pounding and a lot of plastic. But, after several days of work, the first half of the experiment is up and running! On Monday we'll deploy the second experimental treatment and then it will be time count fish, collect macroinvertebrates, scrub algae off of rocks all in order to measure the effect of maintaining high levels of fish diversity and biomass in tropical rivers by means of setting aside protected areas within the system.

Last site of the day. Aaron pounds in exclosure 23 of 24, Hannah wraps 24 in plastic, and some local boys place fish nets and traps. Photo credit: Vera Swanson