You don't get to understand a tourist town by sitting in an office all day. So a big part of our "research" is getting to know the place. Fortunately, getting to know this place includes sunsets, beer, wine, taca taca, kayaking, bingo, playing with stray dogs, and eating empanadas. In fact the empanadas is the monetary indicator in Dichato.
Saturday (1/4/14) we left Santiago in the morning. There was a big plush tour bus rented for the 6 hour drive. But at the last minute I jumped in with the car that was following behind. This was me, Doug Ahlers who runs the program for Harvard, and Ned Strong who is a Harvard guy who has been living in Chile for 3 years working on this and other Harvard projects. It was cool to ride with them. First of all, because I finally got a chance to find out what was expected of me!! But also because I got to trade a lot of stories and talk about a lot of experiences and opportunities.
On Sunday our day was mapped out for us. We all piled into a van and were given a guided tour of the region including the ports, fish markets, tourist spots, etc in towns that included Coliumo, Talcahuano, Punta Arco, Lenga, and others.
The highlight of that trip was our first stop... a mussel and oyster farm in Coliumo just across the bay from Dichato. The farm is owned and operated by Jessica Cabrera Torres. It is almost a one woman operation, although her brother joined us on the trip and seems to be a key helper. Jessica is from a fishing family and grew up as a diver and fisherman. In all of these roles she has had to battle for acceptance as a woman in a "machismo" culture. If that wasn't hard enough she has decided to tackle the uphill battle of developing a whole new aquaculture industry in a region that is resistant to change.
But it's pretty obvious that Jessica has a clear vision. She wants to turn her products into a high end, gourmet offering that command a premium price. She sees that this is the best way to be economically viable while staying small enough to be ecologically sustainable. She has seen the damage of overfishing and of the salmon farm boom and she doesn't want to make those same mistakes. It's also obvious that if anyone can pull this off it's Jessica. She has an magnetic personality (even if you can't speak her language), she is smart, and makes connections at every level from Universities to other fishermen. In this area all you have to say is "Jessica" and everyone knows who you are talking about.
I've been in Dichato, Chile for exactly a week now. I had big plans for tracking the experience here on this page. But I haven't really known where to start. I guess I should start with why I'm here.
On February 27th 2010 the 6th largest earthquake ever recorded (8.8) struck just north of here. In the nearby city of Concepción large buildings toppled or broke in two. The small homes and buildings in Dichato were relatively unharmed by the 'terremoto'. But the long time residents of this geologically unstable area knew that the worst was still to come and they headed for the hills. Over the next serval hours a series of tsunami waves rolled directly through the wide open mouth of Coliumo Bay. The first wave did minor damage. But as it retreated it took all of the water from the bay with it. When the second wave rebounded it brought all of that water back with it and hammered the town with terrific force. The escalating process continued. The bay was completely drained 3 times. The fourth wave was the worst, enveloping the entire town, obliterating buildings, and sending big fishing boats tumbling 2km inland.
The reconstruction started quickly. There was a massive federal effort to clear debris and immediately rebuild homes, schools, tourist attractions, and other critical infrastructure. The rule of thumb is: 2 years for reconstruction, 10 years for recovery. Things appear to be more or less on that schedule. There is still construction going on here but it's mostly at the edges and is close to complete. The recovery is a broad approach that needs to address economics, education, health, etc, etc. Many of those must tackle deep social, psychological, and emotional issues in order to effectively recover from such trauma.
There are many players in the recovery effort. One player is Harvard University's Kennedy School in Boston and their David Rockefeller Center in Santiago. They have been addressing a wide range of recovery initiatives here in Dichato and in other impacted communities. One of their initiatives is to assess the feasibility of aquaculture as an opportunity for employment and economic stimulus in Dichato. This is where I come in. The program asked me to serve as an advisor to a group of Harvard students who are here working on the aquaculture feasibility project.
In one week we have met dozens and dozens of people in all aspects of the issue and the community. From fisherman, to scientists, to politicians, to community organizers, to the US secretary of HUD (!?), to federal fisheries regulators. They each bring a unique (and often conflicting) perspective that we are working to integrate into something productive.
So that's the beginning. More to come on the details.
