
Research Fund 24/05 :: Vítor Oliveira
July 21, 2024
Pass the Dutchies and the Brit
August 22, 2024This post was written on the S5 highway in Poland, while João and Diogo headed to Berlin Airport, with the Gdynia Aquarium behind them and about to meet Inês and Miguel, who were going to escort 100 Scortum barcoo 2000 km back to Portugal.
The first half of this Flying Sharks mission took João and Diogo from Olhão to Gdynia, where we conclude a massive order, after three extremely successful deliveries. The third delivery was 4000 km and 5 days of driving, with a total of no more than 15 hours of sleep.
A lot of Red Bull was consumed, along with cookies, cashews and chips, because eating properly during these transports is always neglected in favor of the wellbeing of the animals.
There’s no time for sit-down meals because reaching the destination is the absolute priority.
And that’s exactly what we did, arriving with a truck full of Scomber, Trachurus, Symphodus, Myliobatis, Trachinotus and Mustelus – two of which loaded in Berlin, since they were born in the aquarium of this magnificent city.
As usual, there were no losses along the way, but don’t think that’s easy, because at the core of this success were… decisions. Hundreds of them. Always with the whole team, back at both base camps in Peniche and Horta, helping to make them.
How much bicarbonate/carbonate should be added to each tank at each of the dozens of stops made? For how long should we change the water at Sea Life Oberhausen? How many hours can we sleep without checking on the fish and systems in Boulogne? How many times should we slap the imbecile at the Gdynia Hostel who cancelled the room we booked for our truck drivers because they arrived 10 minutes after midnight? How many sausages should we devour at breakfast after 5 days on the road? How fast should we drive to Berlin to avoid missing our flight to Lisbon and be able to make it in time for dinner with Nikola, who turned 5 on Aug. 6, the day we flew home?
These aren’t easy decisions, but all together, they brought us – and the fish – safely to our destination.
Here’s a massive THANK YOU to the team members who prepared this monumental transport, including the phenomenal folks who helped along the way: EPPO-IPMA, Tunipex, TPO, Sea Life Oberhausen, Zoo Berlin, and here’s a special word to the finest Ammonia quencher out there, the wonderful Triage from our Blue Shark Journey friends.
And many thanks to our Gdynia Aquarium friends for the awesome video/pics below!
