Friday, August 17 2012

Due to the inclement weather last weekend, the hike to Maraqueet Bay, led by Caribbean Hiking Adventures has been rescheduled to this Sunday (August 19).

Maraqueet Bay is located on the North Coast Road just before Maracas Bay. The journey begins on a wide road going through farm land into the forest. It is a continuous downhill journey to the base of the hill. There in the distance, carved into the mountain is the beautiful Maraqueet Bay, its emerald waters flicker through the trees astounding each hiker. This bay offers both non swimmers and swimmers a chance to enjoy the forgotten paradise.

In the waters dwells the Blue Crab or Callinectes sapidus. This crustacean is found in the waters of the Pacific coast of Central America and the Gulf of Mexico and mainly in Trinidad and Tobago waters. On the Pacific coast of Central America it is largely ignored as a food source as picking the meat is considered too difficult.

The natural predators of the blue crab include eels, drum, striped bass, spot, trout, some sharks, humans, and cownose sting rays. The blue crab is an omnivore, eating both plants and animals. Blue crabs typically consume thin-shelled bivalves, annelids, small fish, plants and nearly any other item they can find, including carrion, other blue crabs and animal waste.

Male and female blue crabs can be distinguished by their abdomens, which are long and slender in males, but wide and rounded in mature females.

A female's abdomen changes as it matures: an immature female has a triangular shaped abdomen, whereas a mature female's is rounded. The blue hue stems from a number of pigments in the shell, including alpha-crustacyanin, which interacts with a red pigment, astaxanthin, to form a greenish-blue coloration.

The hike is rated easy/moderate and takes about 45 minutes, one way. The meeting point is at the Brian Lara Promenade opposite Nicholas Towers in Port-of-Spain.

Assembly time is 7 am; departure at 7.45 am. For further information contact Richard at 788-8478 or Adrian at 789-0570 or visit www.caribbeanhikingadventures. com.