capt. mike - 9-2-2003 at 05:43 AM
WHALE UPDATE: On 8/5 a member posted a question about whether the whale was found or not. In a nutshell here is an update -
The original call for pilots went out in early August. Several pilots stepped up to the plate and helped in the search effort. A male sperm whale was
found tangled in a net and the Mexican Navy was dispatched with divers to release. It is rumored that the Govenor of Sonora's boat was in the vicinity
and went by for a look. This whale was not 'Ms Moby' - the whale that was originally being looked for.
HOWEVER - the following is cut/paste was from an email received today (9/1): "P.SO. Guillermo Alvarez wrote this morning that a sperm whale entangled
in a gillnet was seen in the Sea of Cortez off Baja Sure. Five boats and a couple of planes have signed on to the SeaWatch coordinated search. There's
speculation that it might be Ms Moby. Also a report came in today from the Pacific side that 26 dolphins were found decomposed in a net off the
Pacific coast of Baja. The beat goes on.
If anyone is interested I have posted more in depth information regarding this (with pictures of the rescue) on our website.
Http://www.air-land-sea-products.com/baja.htm
whales
Ski Baja - 9-2-2003 at 09:41 AM
Hopefully, this is the kind of incident that will enable us to put a stop to this kind of behaviour. The death of even one whale should be enough
to stop this and other extremely harmful forms of commercial fishing. Even by the Mexicans trying to feed their families. There are other methods that
don't harm marine mammals.
This incident should be enough to enlighten all of us to what can happen if political greed and ignorance are allowed to run rampant in Mexico as
it has in the U.S..
Fortunately, the people here seem more apt to do something about it because they don't yet feel that, "there is nothing they can do" when it comes
to preserving nature.
Dave - 9-2-2003 at 10:52 AM
While the mental picture of a whale caught in a net is disturbing I question the wisdom of spending thousands of dollars to find and release it. If
the Mexican navy had been doing its job this wouldn't have happened.
Without strict enforcement it is simply a matter of economics and human nature. If people buy the catch it will be fished for by the easiest, most
profitable means available.
Take the pledge:
If I don't catch it....I won't eat it.
True, a drop in the bucket but if you convince two of your friends and they convince two..... Maybe, in time, some sanity will return to the fishing
industry.