Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
Isla Guadalupe: Cypress forests, spring water and living on abalone.
http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/naturaleza/belle...
Wow! This place sounds cool! I like their attitude!
By: Alwin van der Helden
Located west of the Baja California peninsula, Guadalupe Island is a unique Pacific Coast eco-system.
Located approximately 115 miles west of the Baja California peninsula, Guadalupe Island is the Mexican territory furthest away from the mainland. This
beautiful biological paradise is 35 km long and its width varies between 5 and 10 km; its highest point is estimated to be 1,300 meters and some of
the cliffs drop about 850 meters down into the sea.
The island is inhabited by abalone and lobster fishermen and their homes are in Camp East, where the dwellings and boats are protected from the strong
winter winds and heavy seas by a beautiful bay. The island has electricity produced by generators placed in the living area, and the Mexican navy
brings 20 tons of drinking water to the island every month.
The island dwellers? hospitality was evident from the moment we arrived, as we were immediately invited to have supper consisting of a delicious
lobster salad (?you can?t get it fresher than this?, said the housewife).
The island also has a military function, as members of the navy control the coming and going of boats to and from the island.
Abalone fishing in Mexico has been drastically reduced due to excessive exploitation and lack of planning for this valuable resource; however, on
Guadalupe Island, abalone fishing is managed in such a way that future generations will have the same opportunities as the current one.
The island currently has six divers, whose work is not simple. They start their day at 7:00 am and finish at 2:00 pm; they spend some four hours
underwater daily at a depth of 8-10 fathoms in what they describe as ?tidal waters?. They use air hoses (huka) rather than scuba gear and they usually
dive in pairs; one diver stays on the boat called ?cabo de vida? (life point) and he is responsible for ensuring that the compressor works and rowing
the boat when necessary. In the case of an emergency, the diver underwater pulls on the air hose five times to be rescued by his companion.
Demetrio, 21, who has been a diver for the last two years, tells us. ?I had almost finished my work when suddenly I turned around and saw an enormous
shark, about the size of the boat; I hid in a cave while the shark swam around in circles for a while before it decided to leave; I immediately pulled
on the air hose five times and my companion on the surface pulled me up. I?ve come across sharks twice, but most of the divers have also seen them.
They have been known to attack and kill humans?.
Lobster fishing is less risky, as it is done in traps made of wood. Fresh fish are placed in the traps in order to attract the lobster; they are
dropped to about 30 to 40 fathoms and stay there overnight, and so the success rate is not known until the next morning. Abalone and lobster are
placed in ?recibas? (submerged boxes) to keep them fresh and they are taken by the weekly or fortnightly plane directly to the cooperative in
Ensenada, where they are cooked and canned before they are sold on the national and international market. Abalone shells are sold as curiosities, and
mother-of-pearl is used to make earrings, bracelets and other jewelry.
During our stay on the island, we met ?Ruso?, a strong, tough diver now advanced in age; he has lived on the island since 1963 and one day he invited
us for coffee at his home. He started telling us some of his diving stories. ?The most intense experiences I?ve had while diving over the years have
involved the Great White Shark; down there, they look like a zeppelin; on the 22 occasions that I have seen them, I have never been more impressed
during my entire career as a diver?.
The work of the Guadalupe island fishermen deserves attention and respect. Thanks to these divers we were able to have a delicious abalone or lobster
dinner; they respect the laws concerning abalone and lobster fishing and they make sure that they are not robbed by pirates or foreign fishing boats.
They risk their lives daily, and in the event of decompression -which happens often- they do not have the use of a decompression chamber required to
save their lives (the divers? cooperative in Ensenada to which they belong should make an effort to acquire one).
NON ENDEMIC FLORA AND FAUNA
It is worth mentioning that the flora and fauna on the island is unequalled; as far as marine life is concerned, the populations of Guadalupe fine
furred seal (Arctocephalus townstendi) and the elephant seal (Mirounga angustrirostris) that almost became extinct due to heavy hunting done at the
end of the 19th century have recovered thanks to the fact that they were protected by the Mexican government. The fine furred seal, the sea lion and
the elephant seal group themselves into small colonies; they are the main source of food for predators like the great white shark.
The island?s inhabitants feed mainly on the island?s natural resources, namely abalone, lobster, fish and other marine species. However, they also
feed on kid goats that were brought over to the island by whale hunters at the beginning of the 19th century. The expedition made by the California
Academy of Sciences calculated that there were between 40,000 and 60,000 goats on the island in 1922; they now estimate that this number has dwindled
down to about 8,000 to 12,000. These ruminants have eaten up all the autochthonous vegetation on Guadalupe Island, due mainly to the fact that they
have no predators; there are cats and dogs but these don?t kill goats. (See M?xico desconocido No. 210, August 1994).
It is thought that the goats on the island are Russian. The fishermen say that these animals do not have parasites and that people eat them barbecued
or grilled; they also dry the meat and hang it out to dry in the sun.
When the islanders at Camp East run out of water, the fishermen take their rubber drums in a truck to a natural spring located at an altitude of 1,200
meters. They have to cross 25 km of almost inaccessible terrain to get to the spring, and this is where the cypress forest (located at an altitude of
1,250 meters above sea level) plays a crucial role on Guadalupe Island. It is thanks to these trees that the spring exists. It is surrounded by a wire
fence to prevent the goats and dogs from getting near to the spring. The main problem is that the cypress forest is rapidly disappearing, due to the
grazing by the goats; this causes erosion as well as the loss of the many different birds that inhabit this unique eco-system. The fewer trees there
are, the less water will be available to the islanders.
Mr. Francisco belongs to the community of fishermen and he has made himself responsible for taking water to Camp East whenever the need arises. ?Every
time we come for water, we take back four or five goats, which are frozen and then sold in Ensenada where they are made into barbacoa (barbecued
goat). They are not difficult to catch, as the dogs help us round them up and corner them?. Everybody wants to get rid of the goats because of the
problem they represent to the vegetation, but the government does not help.
It is of extreme importance that a goat eradication campaign be carried out, given that new palm, pine and cypress trees have not grown on the island
since the last century; if the authorities do not hurry up and make a decision soon, the whole eco-system, its diverse, endemic species and the spring
that the inhabitants of the island so depend on will be lost.
The same can be said of the other islands on the Mexican Pacific coast, such as Clari?n, and Socorro in the Revillagigedo archipelago.
The ideal time to visit Guadalupe Island is from April to October, as this is not the storm season.
Source: M?xico desconocido # 287 / January 2001
[Edited on 8-24-2005 by Sharksbaja]
|
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
