BajaNomad

Seiners/Sardineros

Russ - 5-30-2008 at 07:03 AM

FYI: 5 seiners are working the mouth of Bahia Concepcion/Bahia Santa Inez. For a week now there has been at least two seiners. The last two days I've been watching at least five in the area. Yesterday evening I saw 4 well inside Bahia Concepcion.
I went back a year and didn't see any obvious reference to these,IMHO, resource robbers. I'm hoping that we'll get some reports here about where, how many, when and of course photos with some land to show where they're working and when possible a boat name. I just read the update on Immigration in Santa Rosalia so we know that at least one very important official is lurking out there. Maybe Ismael will pass this along to an official who cares. The photo below is an old one the seiners out there now are too far away to take a decent picture of.

Seiner.jpg - 44kB

Cypress - 5-30-2008 at 02:22 PM

Russ, Those sieners work with smaller mesh than the gill netters. They catch all the bait fish(sardines) that are available. Sardines are moving towards the top of the food chain in the Sea of Cortez due to the lack of larger predators.:wow:

Russ - 5-30-2008 at 03:03 PM

Interesting theory Cypress. However I take a different view. Lack of larger predators because there are lack of sardines/food fishes. Now those sardineros are taking a lot of the anchovies they avoided only a few years ago because the fouled their nets. What ever your belief, I'm hoping for more reports of where they are and photos than discussions, arguments or hijacking. A friend down the beach about two miles corrected me about how many sardineros there are out there now. They counted ten! She also said she notified some foundation or federation that is some kind of watch dog last year and she was informed there is no commercial fishing allowed from the Bahia Concepcion light to the Punta Chivato light. She'll send me the information and I'll pass along the info here if this thread continues.

[Edited on 5-30-2008 by Russ]

Pompano - 5-30-2008 at 03:07 PM

Russ...I will have some more photos (close-ups) of the seiners, location, nets, and catch for you soon. We were close early this morning, but no camera aboard. Perhaps manana or Domingo if the winds are not too strong.

elgatoloco - 5-30-2008 at 03:16 PM

:no:

Pescador - 6-1-2008 at 08:54 AM

Russ, wish I were still down there, I would go out with you guys and take a batch of pictures with youl. I think that if there were enough reports being made, an offer to the PESCA guy to go out on your boat to see it first hand, and any other creative ways to "help them do their job" that we could come up with might actually have an effect.

mulegemichael - 6-2-2008 at 11:53 AM

Weve been out everyday this week and have counted at least 9 right off the mouth of the river at times....saw yesterday that they had moved inside the bay...just a shame...will try and post this pic of a close up of one

[Edited on 6-2-2008 by mulegemichael]

pargo - 6-2-2008 at 01:23 PM

Don't worry...the biomass in SOC is all well and plentiful...according to Skee... ur uh some people. Chingo of fish in Loreto, Chingo of baitfish every where. I bet these seiners are just mopping up and keeping nature in balance;D

Russ - 6-2-2008 at 02:59 PM

Come on... I has hoping this would be an informational thread and not get into opinions or bad feelings. That has all been done & done & done again. Things came up and I still haven't been in the water to get some photos. SOON:(

Pescador - 6-3-2008 at 08:38 PM

Good point Russ and I am still wondering if there were a number of boaters who all took pictures and sent them to Pesca as well as the local guy in Santa Rosalia if there might be some impact. I read all of the information on Seawatch and was underimpressed by their ability to impact much of anything even though their intentions are well meant, they just don't seem to be accomplishing anything in relation to the pistaleros and inshore netting, but they might also be a resource. I think there is a not so subtle message from PESCA that it is really none of our (meaning gringos) business and they are handling things. A fisherman friend of mine who has some political connections claims it is because they get paid to look the other way. Personally, I do not know, but there must be some avenue.

Russ - 6-3-2008 at 08:43 PM

Took some photos of seiners just outside Bahia Cocepcion today









Russ - 6-25-2008 at 08:46 PM

More sardineros every day now. The beaches are littered with dead fish and the air is getting thick with the smell of dead and rotting fish. Counted at least 9 big boats working today.:no: