Rescuing a Dream

20 years ago, this Maya woman was given (through a government program) a fish farm to both feed her family and to provide a way for them to support themselves. A few months later, it was destroyed by a hurricane.

Eugenia and the Broken Fish Tanks

The government program that originally supplied everything needed for the farm was never able to help repair the damage. Odd pipes stuck out of the ground, many broken and no one knew where they went or what they were supposed to be attached to. The pumps were destroyed. The intense rain caused the water to overflow the tanks, and the fish died. After the sun came out and dried up the water in the remaining tanks, the heat from the baking sun caused the cement to crack, rendering the once life-giving pools worthless.

Cracked Tank

Eugenia, the woman who owned the land and received the original equipment from a government program, sought help to repair the damage, but none was found. Eventually the man who designed the system passed away and no one was even able to decipher the labyrinth of white pipes. It became an eyesore and an unsolved mystery.

Confusing fish farm piping

Enter, my friend and partner, Roman, a veterinarian who specializes in breeding exotic fish with an emphasis on water quality and healthy, organic filtration systems!

Figuring out the confusing connections for the fish farming system was right up Roman’s alley. He was excited and we set off to puzzle out the mystery. It took about two weeks of getting the water running again and then running it through all the different pipes to see how everything connected. So exciting!

Eugenia has a cenote/well right next to the pools which is a tremendous blessing. It means there is unlimited fresh water available!

Water from the centoe well

We worked with Eugenia, her husband Susano, and her adult son Roddy to clean the tanks, run the water, and finally figure out how the system was designed.

Discovering where the water goes

Once we had our answers, Roman was able to tweak the design so it will only need one pump, which will be solar powered (no need for electricity!). It will use gravity, and the tanks will be filtered with local stone and the water spilling down and out from a raised water tank will break the surface tension of the water in the tanks providing much needed oxygen to the fish.

In addition, the wastewater will eventually be used to grow chaya (a local spinach) which will be used as the base for organic, super healthy fish food that will be produced on site!

I am super excited about the cutting-edge system that will provide a home for these locally farmed fish (we will eventually be able to raise three different types of fish in order to extend the harvest and market season). And even though the system will be using up to date knowledge and healthy organic practices, everything will be sourced locally, and the system will not depend on difficult to obtain resources. This is super important because it gives the project longevity and allows for the continuation of the fish farm for years to come in a way that can easily be maintained by the family.

Wow….what a cool project!

Now we need your help to get a few things in order to get them up and running.

• A pump

• 2 Solar panels and a battery

• Repair the cracked cement

• A few new pipes and connections

• Build a raised platform for the water tank that will run the filtration system

• A tenaco (big water tank)

• Water testing equipment that can be purchased at a local hardware store.

All in all, it will be about $2500 USD to get everything up and running with one tank for growing fish. You can help by GOING HERE to make a donation. Then we will be working directly with the family over the next year to help them learn how to manage everything. Eventually, we will be able to get 4 tanks running, which will be the extra cost of repairing the cracked cement in those other 3 tanks.

Laura and Eugenia

We plan to teach them how to manage everything themselves AND to be the liaison to the market so they can sell their fish the local restaurants in Puerto Morelos, Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

The idea is to keep the project at a level that is manageable for the family and provide them a good income.

And THEN…. We will do the same thing for several other families in the village that are in the same boat!

Thanks in advance for your help. Every little bit counts. Please share this story with your friends and family.

This is an important part of what Maya Harmony does.

There are 2 arms to what we do.

1.      We learn about how to live happy, connected, magical lives from the Maya people and we teach that to people in first world countries who are hurting.

2.      We give back into those same communities through the Harmony Project, which is under the umbrella of Poverty Project International, the non-profit I have had for about 9 years now.

Thank you for hearing this heartwarming story and for helping us make this a reality!

Hugs and butterflies.

Laura