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LOCAL Monday 19 august 2024

Aruba Tourism Authority honored loyal visitors at Playa Linda Beach Resort!

The Aruba Tourism Authority re- The honorees were:
cently had the great pleasure of Goodwill Ambassadors
recognizing Goodwill Ambassa- Mr. Michael & Mrs. Nancy Leone
dors of Aruba. The honorees were from Whippany New Jersey, United
respectively honored with a certifi- States.
cate for their years of visits, loyalty,
and love for the island of Aruba. Mr. Jorgino Willems represent-
ing the Aruba Tourism Authority,
The honorary certification is pre- and staff members of Playa Linda
sented on behalf of the Minister Beach Resort bestowed the certifi-
of Tourism as a token of apprecia- cate upon the honorees, present-
tion and to say “Masha Danki” to ed them with gifts, and thanked
guests who have visited Aruba 10, them for choosing Aruba as their
20, or 35 years or more consecu- favorite vacation destination, as
tively. their home away from home.

The three levels of honor are as fol- The top reasons for returning to
lows: Aruba provided by the honorees
Distinguished Visitor (10>years con- were:
secutively visiting Aruba) • Aruba’s people.
Goodwill Ambassador (20>years • Aruba’s beaches.
consecutively visiting Aruba) • Aruba’s weather.
Emerald Ambassador (35>years • Aruba’s restaurants. sincere gratitude and appreciation
consecutively visiting Aruba) • “The feeling of safety & se- On behalf of the Aruba Tourism Au- to the honorees for their continued
curity on the island” thority, we would like to express our visits to the “One Happy Island”.q

Planning on snorkeling? Get to know our Picuda!

while the top part is darker. throughout the year. Picu-
Its snout is very pointed, and da, in our waters, is edible
the lower jaw is longer than without any problem. Picu-
the upper one. Its pedun- da is also a highly sought-
cle, where the body meets after fish by sports fisher-
the tail, is thick, while the men or recreational fisher-
tail also forms a crescent men because it puts up a
but in this case one more good fight once hooked. It
"full" than that of mullet or can be caught via trolling
conefish. This reflects the from a boat, casting from
hunting style of the Picuda. shore with a line or rod, or
It needs to be able to ac- by jigging, casting the lure
celerate quickly when the (artificial bait) and moving
prey gets close. it with certain rod motions.
(Oranjestad)—If you’re partment of Agriculture, in the water waiting for In Aruba: Picture courtesy of the De-
ever planning on snorkel- Livestock and Fisheries, its prey to approach so it
ing during your vacation known as “Santa Rosa”, can attack it with lightning Picuda can be found in our partment of Agriculture,
on Aruba, you may spot wants to share and also speed. It is well known for waters around our island Livestock and Fisheries.q
fish that you can’t recog- obtain information from the fishermen, especially for
nize. One of these may be public. its white flesh in fish soup.
the “Picuda”, a very com- In fishing culture, there are
mon fish that swims all year Picuda, Sphyraena barra- many other names, such as
long in the waters of Aruba. cuda, Greater Barracuda Pecho blanco, Blekito, Ba-
Here’s some information Well known is the Picuda nana, or Bleki. The names
about the beloved Picuda. on the island—Barracuda vary according to size.
in English. Its scientific name
Let's talk about the names is Sphyraena barracuda. It Description
of fish. Do you know your is a widely caught fish. It is The Picuda is a long fish,
fish? This is an informative found throughout the year with a round body like a tor-
article that illustrate some in our waters, where it is a pedo and silver in color with
fish and their names in Pa- so-called "ambush preda- shiny black stripes. Below,
piamento, which the De- tor" that stays still or floats that is, the belly, is whiter,