Tuna-ranching pen off Baja snares boat
By Terry Rodgers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 24, 2008
ANTHONY SAPUTO
Wayde Nichols (left) and Gary Bobel show off bluefin that they caught off the boat stuck in a tuna pen.
Wayde Nichols and four fishing pals looked forward to catching hard-fighting tuna as their sport-fishing boat motored out of Mission Bay on Friday
night. They never expected to become the catch themselves.
In the middle of the night, their boat struck something that rendered it dead in the water.
Flashing a spotlight into the sea, they could hardly believe their eyes. Their 48-foot vessel, the Señor Hefe, had become entangled in a floating tuna
pen half the size of a football field.
The collision, which occurred in international waters about 30 miles southwest of Ensenada, is one of the few maritime accidents involving the growing
number of tuna ranches off Baja California.
During their 12-hour ordeal in the tuna pen, the Señor Hefe crew members alternated between terror and excitement. In between periods of intense
negotiations to free their boat, they experienced the adrenaline rush of a wide-open tuna bite inside the pen.
Eventually, a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat and helicopter escorted the Señor Hefe back to Mission Bay early Sunday. The vessel suffered an estimated
$75,000 in damage.
“We were so lucky. We could have easily sunk the boat,” said Nichols, 44, who lives in Vista.
Nichols praised the Coast Guard for arriving in a timely manner and preventing Mexican authorities from possibly arresting him and seizing his boat.
He said a Mexican patrol boat had rushed to the scene, and the sailors weren't friendly.
Nichols, a former Coast Guardsman, contends the accident wouldn't have happened if the tuna pen had been properly lighted and outfitted with adequate
radar reflectors.
“This thing should have been lit up like a Christmas tree,” Nichols said. “It was in the middle of an area where lots of sport fishers go.”
However, a spokesman for Acuacultura de Baja California, an Ensenada-based business that owns a tuna-ranching operation, said the company is not at
fault.
The tuna pen, or cage, had two lights that were operating when the collision occurred, said the company's legal adviser, Matias Arjona.
“There are 50 to 60 floating cages out there from different companies,” he said. “All of them have the same lighting.”
Acuacultura's 10 tuna pens off Baja have never been hit by a vessel, Arjona said. The pen involved in the accident sustained $7,000 to $8,000 in
damage.
The tuna-ranching segment of aquaculture is practiced worldwide, including in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It came to Baja California in
1996.
Each year's ranching cycle off Baja starts in the summer, when commercial fishing boats net wild tuna. The tuna are transferred to pens that have
rings outfitted with buoys so they float. Nylon netting extends up to 130 feet under water, keeping the tuna in and predators such as sea lions out.
Commercial fishing vessels move the pens around, and the tuna are fattened with sardines or anchovies for several months before sale. Most of the
grown fish are exported to Japan, where they can fetch up to $45 per pound.
The bluefin tuna raised in the pens off Baja were the same quarry being pursued by Nichols and his buddies: Gary Bobel of Carlsbad, Anthony Saputo of
San Diego, Dan Liston of Oceanside and Tim Carew of San Clemente.
Their trip began at 8 p.m. Friday as they traveled toward a tuna hot spot called the 295 Fathom Spot, about 65 miles southwest of San Diego.
About 7½ hours into the voyage, the sleepy fishermen were jarred awake by a horrific noise. At first, they thought their boat had struck a weather
buoy or a small skiff.
Further inspection revealed that the Señor Hefe had overrun the plastic framing ringing the tuna pen. The boat was marooned in the middle, its
propellers entangled in the netting.
At first, the crew of the vessel towing the pen wasn't aware of the accident. It continued pulling the pen – with the Señor Hefe snagged inside – for
two hours until spotting the Americans.
After the sun came up, the Mexicans tending the tuna pen transferred most of the fish to another floating cage.
Then, a Mexican patrol boat with armed sailors turned up and asked Nichols for permission to board the Señor Hefe. Nichols said he refused, citing his
rights as a U.S.-flagged ship in international waters.
“They had every intention of taking control of my boat and taking us to jail in Ensenada,” Nichols said.
Just as the damaged pen was opened, freeing the Señor Hefe, a Coast Guard helicopter swooped down. The chopper's crew ordered the Mexican sailors to
back away. Heavy turbulence from the propellers also forced the sailors to abort their mission.
“It was a bit of a showdown,” said Terence Cox, a San Francisco maritime attorney, who is helping Nichols deal with the insurance claims from both
parties.
Saputo, one of those aboard the Señor Hefe, called the experience “the scariest and best fishing trip of our lives.”
The good part, Saputo said, was when the pen's operators allowed the bored Americans to fish inside the cage. The Señor Hefe returned with 20 bluefin
tuna.
“Of all the far-fetched fishing stories in my life, I've never heard the likes of this one I just participated in,” said Bobel. “This is one I'll pass
on to my grandchildren.”woody with a view - 7-24-2008 at 06:28 AM
two lights on a pen the size of a football field???????????????????????????????
knowing mexico, one light pointed up and the other was burnt out!!!!!mtgoat666 - 7-24-2008 at 06:48 AM
If the pen was under tow, maybe the sport fisherment were unaware of the lights on tow boats, and would have been more aware of surroundings if they
knew how to recognize a tow boat.
seems fishy, blaming their mistake on othersDon Alley - 7-24-2008 at 07:30 AM
The tuna pen operators intended to tow the pen and trapped US boat to Ensenada, and free the boat there. 40 miles at 2-3 knots.
The Mexican Navy instead opened up the pen freeing the boat.
The BD post was vague about any real threat from the Mexican navy.
I wonder about the contention that they were in "International waters" and not only could Mexico not board the vessel, inspect it or check for fishing
regulation compliance, but the US Coast Guard could, and did, interfere with the Mexican Navy, 40 miles off Ensenada. Sure it's beyond the 3 mile or
12 mile limit, but for fisheries don't both countries recognize a 200 mile economic zone? Could the Mexican Navy operate north of the border, 40 miles
off the California coast, in "international waters" and interfere with a US Navy attempt to board a Mexican flagged vessel?
Some of the folks on Bloodydecks who fish across the border worry that Mexico might be ticked off and could retaliate.
There has been speculation about possibly locating tuna pens in the SOC near La Paz. The US govt is preparing an executive order to allow old oil
platforms to be converted to aquaculture sites rather than being dismantled. The US is also considering aquaculture leasing of tracts of the open
ocean. It's going to get crowded out there, drive carefully.shari - 7-24-2008 at 07:49 AM
From the Bloody Decks report...which was indeed vague on a few important details...it seems the mexican navy tried to help get them out...they always
wear body armor and have thier uzis on as they never know who they are dealing with and often are shot at. If any coast guard vessel rescues a boat,
they will board you and ask for identification and ships papers as a matter of policy...even in international waters.
Now, if the towboat and pens were lit which appears to be the case...it seems as if someone was not acting with due diligence...the guy on watch was
not watching very closely...radar would have picked up this tug and someone should have been at the helm.
BUT...that was by far the wildest fishing story I've ever heard...loved the pictures on bloody decks...just amazing and I'm glad it all worked out OK.
But we have worked with the mexican navy on several rescues and marine emergencies and they have always been professional, courteous and gone above
and beyond the call of duty.shari - 7-24-2008 at 09:21 AM
Imagine the scenario....IF the navy were just trying to help...they are required to log in information when they render assistance so maybe they just
wanted to note the registration and data of the assisted party....so they free these guys (instead of having to be towed back to Ensenada), did a good
deed...and then the US coast guard show up and get aggressive????? WTF in spanish....I can just imagine them shaking their heads in disbelief and
telling this story to thier compañeros..
quite likely another case of mistaken intentions...cultural confusion...
If that is how the mexican navy is treated when trying to assist americans...well perhaps they won't bother next time and some innocent american
citizens may be in a life threatening situation.Woooosh - 7-24-2008 at 09:49 AM
The only good part is they got to catch fish in a barrel. Imagine their glee at seeing the US Coast Guard arrive to save the day. Proud to be an
American!DianaT - 7-24-2008 at 10:04 AM
Quote:
“They had every intention of taking control of my boat and taking us to jail in Ensenada,” Nichols said
Interesting quote---did he know that for sure? Would be interesting to hear ALL of the story, but that is not likely. It is one of those matter of
perception stories, IMHO.
Just as a side note, and off topic I have GREAT respect for the US Coast Guard and what they do. However, I was quite surpirsed at one thing.
One day we had our radios on and suddenly heard a very loud voice announcing that it was the US Coast Guard---really took us by surprise. They were
looking for a boat that had been reported as missing. Problem is, they only made the announcement in English and the people most likely to have seen
this missing boat are the local fishermen, and they don't speak English.
DianeTMW - 7-24-2008 at 06:20 PM
Did you answer them? If so were they calling for anyone?shari - 7-24-2008 at 06:54 PM
We have heard the US Coast Guard lots of times off our coast announcing war manuevers like the testing of arms etc. and they always announce it in
english. Where they carry out these test firings are where the fishermen have thier nets set. We have hailed them on the radio to suggest that they
should make their warning announcements in spanish as the fishermen don't speak english and would be in danger if they didn't understand the warning.
However they responded that they didn't have any spanish speaking people on board. So we ended up translating it and announcing it into spanish. I
believe that if they are going to carry out these manouvers in mexican waters they should have a spanish speaking person on board....or if they are
carrying out a rescue in mexican waters should also have a bilingual person present in case of any problems.DianaT - 7-24-2008 at 07:01 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by TW
Did you answer them? If so were they calling for anyone?
No, they were not calling anyone. It was just a general announcement that if anyone had seen the missing boat, please let them know.BajaGringo - 7-24-2008 at 07:28 PM
I have talked to some of the young men working in those patrol boats for the Mexican Navy in the last year here along the Baja coast and have found
them to be generally very pleasant and likable young men working a difficult job under at times, very dangerous conditions.
My guess is that they only wanted to board the boat to see if any drugs or contraband were on board. After looking at the photos on Bloody Decks, I
would have wondered myself what was up with the crew of a fishing boat that could have ended up in that predicament. Sounds to me like they were
probably sleeping off a few too many brews and got caught with their pants down. If they did damage to the pen, they should have to answer for their
responsibility in causing that damage.
Just makes sense to me...BajaNomad - 7-24-2008 at 07:45 PM
It seems that since there were no independent witnesses to this event, it has become a classic case of "he said, she said". It is pure speculation as
to whether the pen and tow boat were in fact properly lighted, or if it was in fact lighted and the crew of the sportfisher was asleep at the switch.
No one will ever know for sure. As to the Mexican Navy's intentions, the same applies. The captain of the sportfisher says the Mexican Crew didn't
look to friendly. The intervention by the US Coast Guard seems to be pretty clearcut. For some reason they seemed pretty adamant about not letting the
Mexicans board. One thing is for sure-I'll bet if the sport fisher had wound up in Ensenada it probably would never have left under present ownership.
I imagine the "reparation payments" for damages to the pen, pain and suffering, loss of income etc. would about be almost covered by the boat and
whatever else that could be had of value.shari - 7-25-2008 at 07:20 AM
But if you think about it,(although mere speculation) I don't believe a tug towing such a huge investment would not be lit...these guys are seamen and
know there is traffic out there and would not risk their fortune by not being lit. Going to Ensenada would have put them in a fine kettle of fish
indeed....good thing the mexican navy got them out.bigeye - 7-25-2008 at 08:00 AM
The Mexican Navy has proven themselves before, and these folks were Mexican.
As someone who has seen these off shore tuna pens first hand, it is obvious they are a hazard.
BTW. It is not the first time a boat has hit one, the previous boat was not quite as lucky. The rudder and drive mechanism were ripped off the boat,
and it ended up on the shore of punta banda.
[Edited on 7-25-2008 by bigeye]Cypress - 7-25-2008 at 12:22 PM
Reminds me of someone stealing catfish from a private pond. $70K damage to their boat? Good thing the owners of the tuna pen didn't get a hold of 'em.
They'd done about $70k's worth of damage to those theives heads.comitan - 7-25-2008 at 03:03 PM
We have the Tuna pens in La Paz and have had 3-4 years and they and the attending boats are well lit.
