Baja Reflections - Naked Scallops

Graveyard of Bay Scallops

Once the Bay was literally paved with these tasty morsels.

This is what became of the huge population of Conception Bay scallops. The meat went north to US restaurants and markets. And eventually even these shell piles began to disappear to be used in various projects.

I don't think Marcus Aurelius had this 'change' in mind when he wrote: "Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight.

[Edited on 3-22-2008 by Pompano]

This one's up the coast, a bit farther north. These mounds are amazing.

Those are very attractive clam shells Roger. I've seen some of those piles one the other side of your bay. In fact you can see them easily with GoogleEarth from space.

Fellows, it was a sad couple of seasons....

Directly across from Coyote.

[Edited on 3-20-2008 by Sharksbaja]

Laguna San Ignacio

This can also be seen from Google Earth. I don't know the history of these shells, but will assume something similar to Pompano's description.

edit pic problem

[Edited on 3-20-2008 by bajadogs]

How bout this one, miles of clam shells and "gravel" beach south of Asuncion

[Edited on 3-20-2008 by Gadget]

Corky...it's been a long time since I have been in space, but that could be close to the turnoff for Baja Patty's old rancho Margarita across Conception Bay on the peninsula. That right angled shorefront could be what we call Jingle Beach...because of the pretty rose-colored thin shells found there. Make great windchime projects for the ladies. And yes, there are many piles of scallop shells left there from the harvest days.

bajadogs...that was a very familiar sight around here for many years. Then a lot was hauled away to pave driveways, etc.

Ken..that taxi driver most likely took you to Santispac for the clam lunch. Chocolates were abundant everywhere back then, and Santispac was a favorite destination from Mulege. We like to take the boat to Playa Sta. Barbara nowadays for good getaway and a chocolate-erotica dinner. Steamers and botajones are there, too.

Skipjack, I am afraid the seed crop may be gone...but we are optomistic of the future. Given a chance, nature will restore our Bay.

edited to add this photo of another form of 'scallop'...mantarayas. The ray's wings are cookie-cuttered into perfect scallops and none are the wiser. Now the once numerous schools of rays are gone, too...along with the sharks that fed on them.


[Edited on 3-20-2008 by Pompano]

Baja Shell Middens

This is one of the many middens on the top of the Requeson Island. The thing I still can't figure out is why anyone would drag all those shells all the way to the top of the island

close up



[Edited on 3-21-2008 by Sharksbaja]

Hey Roger, can you tell where this was taken?

The same area of Gadget's sundown photo... between Bahia Asuncion and Punta Prieta:

Close up of the 'sand' on that beach:

Tried to open this thread on my office computer yesterday and got blocked by our firewall identifying this as pornography. Go figure.

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso Tried to open this thread on my office computer yesterday and got blocked by our firewall identifying this as pornography. Go figure.

Quote:

Originally posted by Roberto Quote: Originally posted by Oso Tried to open this thread on my office computer yesterday and got blocked by our firewall identifying this as pornography. Go figure. Your firewall sucks. But, it's maintained by the county, right?

Beats me. Sometimes it even picks up "bad words" in Portuguese.

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso Beats me. Sometimes it even picks up "bad words" in Portuguese.

I used to know a lot of those Lived in Brazil in the early 60s, but I've probably forgotten most of the good ones. No, come to think of it I could probably rattle off a few.....++Ken++

In a prior life, I was involved with a Scripts Institute study on the feasibliity of farming abalone. When asked what I did, I'd say that I was breeding Abs. This always led to the question of "How do you breed Abalone?"

My reply was that it wasn't hard once you got them in the mood. This was always followed by "How do you get them in the mood?". My reply "you show them porno movies of naked abs"

Maybe your firewall got it backwards and thought the shells were porno.

Now I see it! "Naked Scallops"

Cave litter north of Santa Rosaliita

The mouth of the cave in the distance is 15 to 20 feet wide and the shells spilling down the hillside below are more than a meter deep in places. How many meals over how many years did it take to build up a pile of that many shells?
It's not as if they were harvesting and packaging them for the export market.

How middens got started.

Early BajaNomadic types, discovering steamers, chocolates, and scallops, soon became clam addicts.

(All that remained was for someone to invent melted butter.)

We drove out to the lighthouse on Puerto Carranza off of Guerrero Negro, and saw huge piles (Some taller than I am - I'm 5'5" so maybe they werent that huge:lol

But I couldnt believe how many piles there were!


The edges of the road and the road itself looked as if it was made from the shells

Miles and miles of these thick ancient middens along the coast.

Inland along the road in, there are shells too, just not as thick.

I have seen middens out on San Nicolas Island, off the CA coast, that are 20 feet thick.

Native Americans apparently liked to exploit the natural resources too.





[Edited on 4-5-2008 by Taco de Baja]

Pomp... is actually correct about this area being an enviormantal disaster area...

back in 1991 an article was written in Sudcalifornino Newpaper exposing the stripping of the bay...

actually Armando Naranjo spearheaded the induction of the new laws protecting the bay...

the fisherman still fish for scallops but not nearly like they did in the past...small potatoes now...

one month a year its legal to harvast the scallops from the bay...