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Sharksbaja
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Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
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Fin fishing, longlining and gill-netting
This is one subject I feel very strongly about. These methods of harvest are to blame for the reduction in sealife populations.
A few years ago it seemed Mexico was on the right track ......and now.....
http://www.seawatch.org/newsroom/proposed_regulations_summar...
From the Tucson Citizen
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Our Opinion: Lax laws and enforcement killing Cortez
Tucson Citizen
The lovelorn may cling to hopes of "plenty of fish in the sea," but the adage no longer holds true in the once-abundant waters of the Sea of Cortez.
As scientists, marine biologists and Mexican fishermen all attest: Marine life is disappearing at an alarming rate from Tucson's nearest sea.
Shark and sea turtle populations are at 10 percent of the levels seen 50 years ago, experts and close observers say.
The chief culprits are indiscriminate fishing and insufficient oversight, as documented in the Tucson Citizen's two-day series, "Sea of Cortez -
disappearing underwater world." The series concludes today.
When Mexican fishermen get permits to fish for shark - which scarcely exist in the Sea of Cortez anymore - they use them to snare other species that
now are being depleted, just as the sharks have been.
And when Mexico itself fails to outlaw gill nets and hook-laced longlines - which snag and kill untold schools of swordfish, dolphins, mahi-mahi and
other fish, along with sea lions, turtles and seabirds - then the government in essence condones the obliteration of its richest natural resource.
The U.S. government, likewise, purports to forbid importation of fish caught in this manner. Yet about 9 million pounds of swordfish imported from
Mexico between 1999 and 2003, along with more than 14,330 pounds of mahi-mahi imported this year, undoubtedly consisted largely of improperly obtained
fish.
Mexico also fails to enforce even the lax fishing regulations it does have in place, so endangered turtles snared in gill nets end up in soup pots.
Solutions will be difficult, since 10,000 families depend on fishing - now at barely subsistence levels - for their income.
Still, with so much at stake for Mexico - from its own fishermen to the economically imperative tourism fishing industry - something must be done.
Gill netting must be banned. Revenue from $60 to $650 fishing permit fees should be pumped directly into enforcement of laws to sustain Mexico's
marine life. No longer should all Sinaloan waters be overseen with just four 200-horsepower boats.
In addition, Mexico's fishing regulatory agency, CONAPESCA, should be reunited with its species protection agency, PROFEPA, to ensure protection of
endangered marine life.
These efforts constitute the absolute minimum proactive effort Mexico must make to safeguard its economy, its future in tourism and the incomes of its
tens of thousands of fishermen-headed families. Such action is long overdue.
It is a sad to kill off whales,turtles and marine mammals by entanglement by unmanaged nets. Also the fact that modern nets with proper excluders are
few are far between.
SAN CARLOS, Son. - A demand for aphrodisiacs is killing populations of shark and turtle in the Sea of Cortez.
Shark and turtle sightings are few and far between nowadays, although both were plentiful 50 years ago.
"We have seen very, very few sharks in the sea. Sharks are very rare," said Enric Sala, deputy director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and
Conservation at the University of California in San Diego.
Sala estimates shark populations are down to 10 percent of what they were 50 years ago because of over fishing. Retired University of Arizona marine
biology/oceanography Professor Donald A. Thomson estimates turtle populations also are down to 10 percent of what their population once was. Thomson
has studied the Sea of Cortez since 1963.
Demand for shark fin soup, considered an aphrodisiac in some Asian cultures, has created the practice of shark-finning, in which the shark is caught,
the fins are cut off and the crippled and dying fish dumped back into the water.
Shark-finning was banned in the United States in 2000 but is legal in Mexico.
Shark fins sell for 50 to 80 times the price of shark meat. A bowl of shark fin soup goes for up to $50 in Asia, according to Iliana Ortega, a
representative of Conservation International for the Gulf of California region.
The rest of the shark is often left to rot, its finless corpse floating ashore, Ortega said.
Sala studied what few fishing records he could find and conducted underwater dives to estimate shark populations in the Sea of Cortez. Mexico doesn't
keep good fishing records, Sala said, so making an accurate count is difficult.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, more than 50,000 pounds of dried shark fins were imported to the United States from Mexico
between 1999 and 2002. None has been brought in since 2002, said Norma Agosttini, an import specialist with the Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection.
Slicing off shark fins wasn't part of Mexican culture, Ortega said. Mexican shark fishermen used to use the whole shark. But at up to $80 per fin, she
said, it was more worthwhile just to cut the fins off and seek out the next catch because shark carcasses take up too much space on a boat.
The turtle, however, goes way back in Mexican culture, and while protected under Mexican law, turtles often end up stuck in gill nets and caught on
lines, only to be sold on the black market for their meat.
One of Tucsonan Martha Thompson's earliest memories is of a monstrous turtle laid out for a feast on her grandmother's patio just down the beach in
her native Guaymas, Son., when she was 4.
"It was huge," Thompson said of the traditional main course at her baptism feast 30 years ago. "That's why there aren't any more."
Mexicans' desire for turtle meat sent populations plummeting, Ortega said. And the government's declaration of turtle as an endangered species in the
1980s sent the market underground, where a turtle sells for $300 or more.
for more info visit:
http://www.seawatch.org/reports/sea_of_cortez.php
It is time to move on this people, here is how Bajas environmental representatives work......
Defenders of Wildlife?
This picture shows in blue the area that would be opened to a new fleet of converted shrimper longliners and the panga longliners they tow as well as
drift gillnetters under version 6 of the new shark norma, supported by "Defenders"
This picture shows the migratory path of blue humpback and grey whales down the baja coast and and the Californa humpbacks proceed along the mainland
coast running a continuioous gantlet of drift gillnets as well as monofilament gillnets.
Contact Defenders of Wildlife directly to tell them what you think about their proposals. Change our proposed letter to accurately reflect your
opinions, and then use this form to send immediate e-mails to DoW officials.
Note: it is very important to personalize this email. Add and delete as you deem appropriate. Visit this site and send your message.
http://www.seawatch.org/newsroom/proposed_regulations_dow_le...
Subject: Mexican Shark Regulation
2005-02-02
Dear (Computer will address)
I am a conservationist who supports real conservation efforts with real contributions.
I supported recent efforts by a coalition of conservation groups to keep longlines out of the US waters off the West coast. I am utterly appalled that
the Defenders of Wildlife can claim to have opposed longlines off California while supporting bringing this destructive gear into the Sea of Cortez.
Your position on longlining in Mexico destroys what credibility your organization might bring to other conservation efforts. I will never contribute
to your group and I will ask that all my friends and associates similarly refuse.
My support will go to organizations who act credibly to stop the use of longline gear everywhere.
Sincerely, (your name)
When will the slaughter stop and where???
My heart sinks with the possibility of denying local fishermen their god-given right to live off the sea. Its not their fault. There can be a balance.
Most of the damage can be corrected over time. But a concerted effort must be utilized. They are not a global capitalists looking for an easy take.
After all, we are all(countries) the culprits.
Sharksbaja
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Sharksbaja
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whistler
According to Webtsers the word "purports' means 1. To have or present the appearance of, often false.
Federal regulations going into effect later this year will require that the country of origin be printed on packaged fish in the United States.
Fish caught in Mexico with techniques banned in the United States, such as unregulated gill nets, are prohibited from import under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act, said Brendan Cummings, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Seafood caught in Mexico with fishing techniques that are restricted or illegal in the United States still ends up on our dinner plates.
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=2044554
Tell me where the 11,000 Marlin went that a couple of longliners hauled in one recent year. Living here in the NW I am quite familiar with the
ramifications of "dragging" and bottom trawls.Check out the newly enacted laws to protect the NW Continental Shelf. It is estimated it would take a
least 100 years for nature to come back to its prior state. It is wrong everywhere. But please don't be naive because WE DO uptake Mexican seafoods
without complete documentation.
And on the same longline....
A recent article in the scientific journal Nature found that the ancient leatherback?s Pacific female nesting population has collapsed by 95% in the
last 22 years. Scientists warn that it could go extinct in the next 5-30 years if immediate action isn?t taken to reverse the freefall.
The primary reason for the decline of the leatherbacks is longlining, a type of fishing which maims and kills about 4 million whales, dolphins,
seabirds, sharks, sea lions and billfish each year throughout the Pacific.
Rather than taking action on this important news, WESTPAC, which overseas the longlining that occurs in the leatherback?s migratory swimway, did
nothing.
Perhaps this is not surprising when one considers that the council members include among their ranks the very longline fishermen killing leatherbacks.
This is no trivial matter in the Pacific where the corruption riddled council has been given free reign once again to let loose tuna and swordfish
longliners subject to a time-area closure and a ban imposed by a federal court since 1999. In 1999, a federal court found that WESTPAC had not been
protecting critically endangered leatherback sea turtles from being caught and killed by longlines and took the decision making out of its hands by
mandating a time and area closure to protect the turtles.
When the closure for swordfishing began, two current and future council members relocated their jointly owned longline business to California and
Mexico to resupply vessels fishing in the same area who evading the court decision by landing their catch in California rather than Hawaii.
When a lawsuit threatened to close this loophole, the longline industry took action. They funded and co-sponsored a NOAA Fisheries study in the
Atlantic, which resulted in only preliminary data providing the questionable justification for NOAA Fisheries to reopen the fishery in the Pacific.
Does it say made in Mexico on its beak,shell , fin or flipper? Must of washed off I guess.
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gringorio
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This came in my email today:
Prominent Scientists Join Call for
UN Moratorium on Longline Fishing
705 International Scientists from 83 countries Have Signed
February 2, 2005
Contact:
Robert Ovetz, PhD, 415-488-0370 x106, 510 459 7955 (cell)
robert@seaturtles.org
World renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, has added her voice to 705
international scientists from 83 countries who are urging the UN to implement a moratorium on longline fishing in the Pacific Ocean to prevent the
extinction of the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle. The scientists are joined by 230 non-governmental organizations from 54 countries.
The list of signers includes biologist E.O. Wilson, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, and former U.S.
astronaut William Harris, M.D.
According to the statement, ?An International Call by Leading Scientists to Reverse the Pacific Leatherback's Extinction Trajectory,? the scientists
warn that ?The Pacific leatherback sea turtle is at the top of the list of species being driven to the brink of extinction by increased efforts of
global industrial fishing.? Also impacted are about 4.4 million sharks, seabirds, billfish and marine mammals maimed and killed by longlines in the
Pacific each year.
?Sea Turtles are endangered everywhere. Unless there is a concerted effort by all the groups and individuals who care, the Pacific Leatherback Sea
Turtle is almost certainly doomed to extinction. And these efforts would be greatly strengthened by the support of the United Nations,? said Dr. Jane
Goodall, DBE. ?How tragic it would be if future generations know these wonderful animals only from photographs and films.?
The female nesting population of highly migratory leatherback sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean has collapsed by 95 per cent since 1980. Eminent
scientists warn that the leatherback could go extinct in 5-30 years unless we reduce the threat from longline fishing. Because sea turtles are
migratory, traveling thousands of miles each year to nest, an international solution is needed.
?The UN General Assembly passed a resolution last November calling for prohibitions of destructive fishing practices. The first place to start is by
implementing a moratorium on longline fishing,? suggests Robert Ovetz, PhD, Save the Leatherback Campaign Coordinator. In the past, the UN has banned
destructive fishing methods, such as through the international moratorium on high seas driftnetting.
The petitions, originally submitted to the UN in February 2003 with the names of 413 international scientists and 113 NGOs, have not yet received a
formal response from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Leatherback Resources:
? Review copy of the documentary ?Last Journey for the Leatherback?? is available upon request
? B-roll video footage is available upon request
? The scientist petition is available at:
http://www.seaturtles.org/pdf/master.UNscientistltr10.FINAL">click
here
? The NGO petition is available at:
http://www.seaturtles.org/pdf/master.NGOltr.9.4">click here
? Press packet is available upon request
The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is a California-based marine conservation organization that works to protect sea turtles and other marine species
in the United States and in countries around the world. For more information about sea turtles and the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, please visit:
www.seaturtles.org and www.savetheleatherback.com
SEA TURTLE RESTORATION PROJECT
POB 400/40 Montezuma Avenue ? Forest Knolls, CA 94933 USA
Ph. +1 415 488 0370 ext. 106? Fax +1 415 488 0372
robert@seaturtles.org ? www.seaturtles.org
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Sharksbaja
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Birds of a feather, but unfortuntely the feather has a steel barb
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Sharksbaja
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techniques banned in the United States,such as unregulated gill nets"
they are banned nearshore(3mi) where most the fish are.They are also banned in a number of States The subject is about future regulation of fin
fishing, longlines, gill-nets.
Sharkfin Soup, its on the Menu in La Paz
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Sharksbaja
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Quote by Brendan Cummings
I never attempted to explain someone elses quote
| Quote: |
Fish caught in Mexico with techniques banned in the United States, such as unregulated gill nets, are prohibited from import under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act, said Brendan Cummings, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity
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I was not intending to mislead u, I was merely pointing out a law barring near-shore fishing in So.Cal was possibly
what Cummings was referring to among others
and Iam sure u would agree that most the worlds fish resourses are located on or near the continental shelves.
Did I say someone was corrupt?????? Make sure u point fingers at the right people.
Im sure your friend knows us, we are on the Bayfront 10 yrs and without fishermen we wouldnt have a business such as we do.
Dragging is another story
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Sharksbaja
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Gillnet Fanny
Right on.... I have a buddy in Florence who did the buy back option. It is only a matter of time before the whole Sabasties Sp. Compex (rockfish) is
listed.
It is interesting how NOAA(local bio trawls) and the Marine Fisheries crunch data. It doesnt reflect what I hear about rockfish numbers. Mucho mas
pescado. After all its only a few species out of 40 or so that has low numbers.
Too bad there arn't more options for the Pecadores
Had we had half a brain 50 yrs ago we wooda figured out how to cycle target areas and species. Salmon ain't lookin too great. Last year sucked. Crabs
are happy.
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Sharksbaja
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Absolutely right on the mark w/ researchers. Their heart is normally in the right place when they start out. Because of their narrow focal point it
is rare when they (correctly)interpret data that comes from fishermen(what do they know anyway) I spent 4 yrs on an iisland at at Marine Science
Center meeting and working near scientists and graduate students and I can tell u they start their quest and never change ponies. I REMEMBER how we
always blamed the Russians. How come u dont hear that anymore, anyways it's the Yapanese who really F***ed the oceans around on a mo recent note.
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Sharksbaja
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| Quote: | originally posted by Whistler
Yes,Shark your right.Not to mention Korea and Taiwan.At least now they don't allow them in the Sea of Cortez,supposedly
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I hear the Koeans have exclusive squid harvest rights in the Sea of Cortez and I have passed many a truckload coming out of San Bruno??? How many
Korean "squidders" are out ther and which species of squid are they taking,
Have u ever witnessed the rise of squid to the bright lights of a squid boat. It is an amazing sight. As in the area around the Channel Is. these
productive areas certainly are a signifigant part of the food chain and may very well the reason for the larger predators in the Sea of
Cortez.(non-plankton eaters).
As the charts indicate, the range and routes of whales are well know. Not the case with Turtles and Sharks who may also return albeit through
another route. This is a one problem when considering longlining and gill netting.
mmmmmmm calamari, cook 30 second only, es perfecto
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Sharksbaja
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We used go on the backside of Catalina Is. Sometimes they would be thick during the mating season, but these takes were for the study of the eye &
optical nerve study. The researchers would put em in tanks and try to keep them alive, but to no avail. I would have to get the purple little
bastards out of the outtakes etc., & god do they stink when they go. They also did studies on big Pacific Spiny Lobsters in which they would starve
them into a cannibalistic state and then throw them away(not release the survivors) after making notes (most ended up on my menu at home without them
knowing).
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Me No
Banned
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Interesting thread.
Yes, the Koreans purchase much of the squid that comes from the Sta. Rosalia area, however, a great deal of it is consumed by the people of baja.
Sharks are being over harvested, as I witnessed in Mulege over Christmas when panga after pange would come in with SMALL hammerheads. The fins were
cut off to go overseas, and the filets were sent to local markets.
Where I live in Cantu there is a sea urchin factory. The TOTAL output has been contracted by a Korean firm.
I have a friend in Camalu who is a commercial crab fishermen. Every tuesday a Koren man shows up with his refridgerated truck and buys his total
catch for the week, and all the other crabers as well. He feels he get a fair price. Better than the Mexicans in the past.
Where does it all end, and/or where does it begin. Who knows. People love to eat exotic treats from the sea, to be sure. People need to feed their
families, as we all know. To strike greed out of the equation would be nice, but many are to blame. That is ultimately the question. Who do we
blame?
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Sharksbaja
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Vantuna
I remember the Vantuna, occasionally we would take the Sea Watch or more often we would take our small Radden laden w/ large lights. These were USC
boats that were docked on Terminal Is. in Fish Haror.... Remember the Chicken of the Sea plant. we had a plethora of donated boats, most unsuitable
for research. When I left they were trying to launch theis newly acquired Steel Tuna boat. I think it was called the "Pegasus". That was a ways back
in the late 80s. You might remember our regular transport boat the "Golden West" a 38' tender/shuttle unit. (skipper Carrol ??something, a real
pirate type..arrrghhhh) he skippered for anyone. Piece o crap boat in rough waters. Freakin' contminated diesel tanks. SCARY! Especially with the
off-shore Santa Ana winds. I got more stainless steel goodies when those idiot weekend warriors would swing on their moorings or drag their anchor
right into the rocks.
Unfortunately sharks are relatively easy to attract and slaughter and also unfortunate is the length of time it takes to reach maturity and
reproductive age for a great number of shark sp.
I hope they stay out of the deep areas in the Sea of Cortez that may harbor the "Big Guys"
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Sharksbaja
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| Quote: |
What vessel did you use for the research trips?My friend Vince Trezoli runs the Vantuna.I think it's for Occidental College.
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22nd St. Landing
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Don Jorge
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Seawatch, Vantuna? Remember the Valero? My brother skippered the Vantuna for years. They don't build boats like that in Costa Mesa these days!
Check out this chart from the Vantuna back when the Van Camps ran the boat to Guadalupe Island on sportfishing trips for fun in the 60's.
http://www.southcoastfarms.com/newpage2.htm
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Sharksbaja
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I used to eat crabs as a child from both 22nd St and Pierpoint Landing in L.B.Is there still a small fleet in there? I also used to hang near the
Ports of Call vessels. Where I would sit and talk with the oldtimers as they mended nets. It was very colorful down there in those days. My
father-in-law is currently one of the caretakers on the restored tug that the Maritime Museum runs in San Pedro Hes 79.
It wasnt the "Pegasus" it called the "Osprey" awesome boat, 190 feet, fast, beautiful.
You are right, Whistler the Radon design with the foamed in hull was awesome to work from in bad weather and handled very nicely. I used to eat crabs
as a child from both 22nd St and Pierpoint Landing in L.B.
The Radon was the boat I used often to run between LA and Little Fisherman Harbor. Baywatch had a similar boat but I forget who made them.
Is there any current legislation regarding gillnetting happening in CA?
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Don Jorge
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Whistler,
You are right about the Costa Mesa boatyard and the Vantuna's sisterships.
Yes, Radons were built for hauling tons of abalone and urchins while crossing the channel with following seas homeward bound. Of course, Don Radon is
building boats again.
I doubt if the otters destoyed the abalone fishery. I lived in Santa Barbara for 6 years in the 70's and many of my friends dove the Channel Island
fishery and they cleaned house. Abs just do not grow that fast (except for my middle age abs) and the hooka boys were greedy.
I almost bought a Davis boat but since I fish south and come home into the seas I bought a Blackman which are San Diego built for just such
conditions. Local built boats for local conditions. When I lived in Baja I owned a panga, same theory.
Sharksbaja, the Baywatch boats are built by Chrystaliner and they are great boats also.
As for the thread topic. I believe we are too many wanting too much and we make great tools to attain it.
A man has a right to make a living and feed his family. Where those rights merge with the rights of future generations to do the same is a tough
question for which I have no answer.
Dreaming, the Vantuna would be great boat to take to Guadalupe!
Jorge
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Sharksbaja
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Ted Danson???
Ohmygod Ted Danson ? Famous protector of the oceans. ?I understand! He probably did more harm to their credibility than any than
good.
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Sharksbaja
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radon
nice boat, i think its listing starboard w/all them poles. Volvo Penta??
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Sharksbaja
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ditto whistler
Yeah same here, got rid of my ol Tolly 22' It had a OMC, in fact I still have the stern drive. All rebuilt and set up for freshwater (heat ex)
cooling. Sweet boat in its day. To bad my partner was a chump. W/ my new casa i need something pretty soon. Be down next week for biz & sum much
needed respite.
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Sharksbaja
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26' Tolly
I have only been aboard a Tolly 26' twice that I can remember. A comfortable yacht made in the 70s. They are very roomy boats inside. A heavier boat
(glas&ply) it was a slower ride. Also high & wide. As my Tolly was a Stern-drive, I believe these were set up twin Chevy inboards. Not especially fast
but like I said the cabins huge. This makes fishing comfortable aft.
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