BajaNomad

Loreto Marine Park - New rules

ncampion - 10-1-2009 at 05:02 PM

Just got this in email. Sounds pretty restirctive for tourists. Just what is meant by "harpooning fish" - spearfishing?

Various groups and associations have been meeting through-out the summer and most recently at the Hotel Desert Inn to give input regarding changes within the Loreto Marine Park. Unfortunately, the foreign community of Loreto did not have representation appointed for these meetings. It was stated that changes will take effect in mid 2010 when the revised map and rules of the Loreto Marine Park will be distributed and enforced.

Examples (see below) are some of the future changes that have been submitted for review and approval that will be finalized by the end of this weekend.

1. No water toys will be allowed in the Loreto Marine Park such as jet skis, banana boats, etc.

2. Tent camping at the islands will need a permit and reservations; there is a two-night maximum stay per permit. If you are a Loretano resident or posses a FM-3 or 2, the permit is not required.

3. A decal will be required for your boat to coincide with your fishing license. There will be different decals for commercial fishing, sport fishing, etc.

4. No harpooning for fish will be allowed in the Marine Park's designated areas.

One more item of input: Some want the Port Captain of Loreto to require and enforce any foreign vessel that goes into the park be required to file a trip report prior to departure. This report will indicate name of vessel, names of people on the vessel, purpose of the trip, point and times of departure and return, etc.

A meeting will be held on Friday at the Hotel Desert Inn, 3:00 p.m. in the Conference Room to discuss the legalities and policing of the above issues. You are encouraged to attend this meeting.


.

shari - 10-1-2009 at 08:29 PM

Is Agua Verde in the Marine park?

Don Alley - 10-1-2009 at 08:47 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Is Agua Verde in the Marine park?


No. But one of the topics discussed this summer is an expansion of the Marine Park which could include Agua Verde.

As far as "the foreign community of Loreto did not have representation appointed for these meetings," well, there is, imo, no inherent foreign community position. Some foreign interests are organized and involved in these meetings and they may be driving through some significant changes. It's all about being organized and prepared.

My guess at this point is that the only significant changes will be more protected (closed to fishing) areas, and perhaps better enforcement. And hopefully better distribution of daily permits. The state is now selling fishing licenses at the dock at 6AM, by the way.

wilderone - 10-2-2009 at 08:53 AM

"No water toys will be allowed in the Loreto Marine Park such as jet skis, banana boats, etc"

This is a little vague. Could you get more specific info - maybe provide the actual language of the rule after it's distributed? I don't know what a banana boat is. However, for jet skis, they should instead, have open season on them, and pay a bounty on every one brought in dead.

shari - 10-2-2009 at 09:00 AM

thanks for that...it will be interesting to see what develops there.

a banana boat is when a panga or motor boat pulls around those banana shaped things people ride on. Perhaps the ruling will be for motorized water toys like para sailing too...water ski's??

LaTijereta - 10-2-2009 at 10:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by wilderone
"No water toys will be allowed in the Loreto Marine Park such as jet skis, banana boats, etc"

This is a little vague. Could you get more specific info - maybe provide the actual language of the rule after it's distributed? I don't know what a banana boat is. However, for jet skis, they should instead, have open season on them, and pay a bounty on every one brought in dead.


"Banana Boat" could mean an undersized "sea kayak":o

vandenberg - 10-2-2009 at 10:16 AM

Heard a rumor that "ALL" watercraft were going to be banned.
This was just before closing time at "Augie's"

Anybody wanna buy a boat ?

[Edited on 10-2-2009 by vandenberg]

flyfishinPam - 10-2-2009 at 10:58 AM

Interesting. Who wrote all this? I've been to every single one of these meetings and the above rules are not written in stone but only proposals. We will not know until December if the many proposals we have set fourth will be ratified.

The new management plan will be in effect in January 2010. The person who is the source of many of the "concerns" in the foreign community showed up for only a very short time in the second round of the sportfishing meeting and again for about one hour of on wednesday (first meeting of the final round) and again for just under an hour last night. Unfortunately this person came into the meetings midstream without understanding or being in on the entire dialogue then proceeded to create unnecessary panic throughout the foreign community. This does nothing but divide and make that community look bad to the locals.

I sure hope the foreign community will understand that this management plan round of meetings includes all sectors and many ideas are put fourth and discussed at length. Last nights meeting went on for eight hours, wednesdays went on for seven tonight is the final meeting and we only got through half of what we were supposed to yesterday so I'd imagine it will go on for at least ten hours.

One of the most discussed tpics in the sportfishing sector is that of illegal service providers from the foreign community. In my opinion too much time has been used to discuss this issue but it is a real concern. The marine park likely will not be able to alleviate this situation save possible decals to identify legal vs illegal service providers and an awareness program that may or may not be of help. However the problem WILL be resolved through our new sindicato of pangueros that is now being formed. Those who are not breaking the rules have nothing to fear but those who are breaking them watch out.

I feel some of the biggest changes will be the no take zones. All of Puerto Escondido and south halfway to Ensenada Blanca will be no nets and no hooks...no fishing. I will miss fishing the mangroves inside PE and I certainly hope that studies will be conducted there on the fishery.

Last night we got hung up on trying to keep the Holland America ms Ryndam out of the "blue triangle". This is the area between Punta Baja, Danzante and Montserrate that has a high concentration of blue whales. Last year the day after the Ryndam visited Loreto, a blue whale beached off salinita with a huge gash near its tail from a propeller strike. The law states that WE have to proove that navigation channels need to be set in order to protect our wildlife and reduce ships impacts on our environment. Pretty backwards in my opinion. Theres no way we can get rid of this ship but at this point we are winning the battle to keep API from constructing a cruise ship dock and megamarina. Tonight we will finalize this vote and also we will finalize the rule to keep the desal plants out which would violate the rule of no discharge into the parks waters.

flyfishinPam - 10-2-2009 at 11:03 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ncampion

3. A decal will be required for your boat to coincide with your fishing license. There will be different decals for commercial fishing, sport fishing, etc.



This is just plain incorrect! The marine park official gave this as an EXAMPLE of what could be done to permit and distinguish boats that provide service and boats that don't. I sure wish the person who was there to hear this actually HEARD what was said and WHY it was said. What happened is this person wrote down the notes that were pertinent to them them left the meeting and proceeded to phone many people in town and create a panic.

Its too bad that this mis-information is leading to so much frustration in the foreign community.

Banana Boats

k-rico - 10-2-2009 at 03:06 PM

Do a Google image search if you don't know what one is.

There's even a Banana Boat song. :yes:

DENNIS - 10-2-2009 at 03:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by LaTijereta

"Banana Boat" could mean an undersized "sea kayak":o


Banana boat (boat)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Banana boat, Varadero, CubaA banana boat, also known as a water sled and often referred to simply as a banana, is an inflatable recreational boat meant for towing. It was invented by Glenn Matthews in the late 1980s. Different models usually accommodate three to ten rides sitting on a larger, main tube and resting their feet on two laterally flanking tubes which stabilize the boat. The main tube is often yellow and banana-shaped. Some models have two main tubes. During the ride, the driver of the powered boat attempts to flip the banana boat upside-down by doing sharp turns. Riders should always wear life jackets for safety reasons.

Riding in a banana boat is considered to be a safer activity than water-skiing or other towed-water sports, and is similar to tubing. It is generally safe to ride at 4+ years.

shari - 10-3-2009 at 07:25 AM

gracias Pam for the clarification and for attending all those lengthy meetings. You are fortunate to be involved in the process and have a vote in the new regulations.
I wish the Vizcaino Biosphere reserve would follow your lead with public participation to come up with workable regs.

flyfishinPam - 10-3-2009 at 10:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
....
I wish the Vizcaino Biosphere reserve would follow your lead with public participation to come up with workable regs.


they will, it took us 13 years in Loreto to get to this point of fair and just public participation

but keep on them! first get a copy of your management plan, second find out when it will be revised then do what it takes to get your voice and that of your friends and neighbors heard when it comes time to revist that management plan. you have my direct contacts for advice. we must keep in contact. all of our communities must unite in order to receive the benefits that are due to us by law but this must start at the local level. its a huge job but you may be the person to get it started over there.

[Edited on 10-3-2009 by flyfishinPam]

Huge Hurdles!

flyfishinPam - 10-3-2009 at 10:53 AM

We, the community who were present during the entire round of meetings that took place over the last six months, voted on a few measures that will have a significant positive impact on our community and social structure. Last night we:

*we closed the door on allowing a new mega-marina and cruise ship terminal to being constructed. it remains against the law of the park to alter the coastline with construction of dredging.

*it remains against the law of the park to discharge any liquids, solids, etc "salmuera" which is desal waste, falls into these restrictions. so we basically closed the door to desal plants being abl to discharge in the park. this will severely affect development in my opinion and we muse watch with a close eye on what they will be doing.

*we signed a very elgant letter to the president of the republic asking for some slight changes that will make beaurocracy more efficient and cost effective, pointed out that Loreto is setting an example at the national level with our conservation efforts, and specifically asked that there be presence of conapesca in order to help with our vigilance efforts.

24 hours of meetings in three afternoon/evenings, we sure made a lot of progress!

k-rico - 10-3-2009 at 11:32 AM

Good job, blocking the mega resorts / developments and at the same time doing things to preserve the natural environment and enhance tourism is a win-win situation.

Community action can work. Power to the people!

The Vecinos de Playas de Tijuana, a community organization in my neck of the woods, recently blocked the construction of a new entrance at the south end of Playas de Tijuana by collecting signatures at major intersections in the community. I'm sure many of you have seen the half finished overpass over the toll road at the south end of Playas. That's not going to finished anytime soon.

bajamikey - 10-4-2009 at 11:54 AM

Pam, when you say all of puerto escondido and half way to ensenada blanca no nets no hooks..no fishing.....do you mean just inside puerto escondido and halfway to ensenada blanca along the shore? are the southern end of the marine park and past punta baja to the eastern edge of the marine park? which i think is 25 miles to the east

wilderone - 10-5-2009 at 09:06 AM

In spite of the long hours and days of meetings, it sounds like the results will be reasonable considering it is a Marine Park. And as you say, "Loreto is setting an example at the national level with our conservation efforts." Thank you for your hard work.

As for Holland America ms Ryndam, their insensitivity to the environment is shameful. I'll start by writing and emailing them and tattle to other organizations to put the pressure on. And I hope others will do the same. A boycott would be nice.

flyfishinPam - 10-5-2009 at 10:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by wilderone
In spite of the long hours and days of meetings, it sounds like the results will be reasonable considering it is a Marine Park. And as you say, "Loreto is setting an example at the national level with our conservation efforts." Thank you for your hard work.

As for Holland America ms Ryndam, their insensitivity to the environment is shameful. I'll start by writing and emailing them and tattle to other organizations to put the pressure on. And I hope others will do the same. A boycott would be nice.


You're welcome and the time simply flew by! As for the Holland America I have some beefs, why aren't they paying to use the park? None of their passengers buys armbands as other tourists have to, unless they get back on a boat and visit the island or fish (few passengers do this). WE have to prove that the ship passing through the blue triangle is endangering the blue whales. Kayakers, divers, fishermen and boaters all have described this ships impact. Divers are telling horrible stories about what this ships propellers have done to the clam beds off the towns port. This ship visits and anchors all day long and the port is closed to traffic where their tenders come in and out. I specifically asked about where this ship discharges its desalination waste and am told they do it outside the park, yet the park cannot man the ship with a park monitor while it is the boundaries to ensure they follow the regs (our proposal for this was denied).

Its clear to me (and many others) that this ships presence conflicts with the spirit of why this park was created, so several of us are acting to prove this in order to either regulate this ships navigational routes within the park or getting rid of it altogether.

If anyone reading can point us to specific scientific information/studies/policies that may help us in our efforts to do this I thank you.

bajamike, I have the unofficial zoning map that was created at the meetings but cannot publish it because the GPS coords of the boundaries are being measured this week. I am working on marking the regions affected and will post soon. quick answer to your questions the no take zones are generally along shorelines and specific structure. you won't be able to fish in puerto escondido and you won't be able to fish the shoreline from its opening and coyote point to about halfway to ensenada blanca...along the shoreline not all the way out to the eastern park boundary. also the area in front of the nopolo will be closed to all fishing as well. there are more areas that will be closed but this answers your specific questions for now.

gnukid - 10-5-2009 at 11:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by wilderone
In spite of the long hours and days of meetings, it sounds like the results will be reasonable considering it is a Marine Park. And as you say, "Loreto is setting an example at the national level with our conservation efforts." Thank you for your hard work.


Thank you so much to everyone who attended and participated. While I love to go boating I agree that a closure is the best thing for the marine life to recover.

Thank you Pam and everyone attending!

ncampion - 10-5-2009 at 07:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by flyfishinPam
*it remains against the law of the park to discharge any liquids, solids, etc "salmuera" which is desal waste, falls into these restrictions.


Does this make all those crusing sailboats in the area illegal, since 90% of them have RO watermakers that discharge waste overboard?


.

[Edited on 10-6-2009 by ncampion]

Santiago - 10-5-2009 at 08:27 PM

Pam: It's been 15 years so I'm a little fuzzy on the area: why is this area being closed to fishing? Spawning grounds? Fished out and needs recovery time? Will there be real enforcement against gill netters? Are bonefish still being caught here?
Thanks

gnukid - 10-5-2009 at 08:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ncampion
Quote:
Originally posted by flyfishinPam
*it remains against the law of the park to discharge any liquids, solids, etc "salmuera" which is desal waste, falls into these restrictions.


Does this make all those crusing sailboats in the area illegal, since 90% of them have RO watermakers that discharge waste overboard?

[Edited on 10-6-2009 by ncampion]


Pam has clearly written that these are proposals to be considered for implementation in the near future, possibly to be voted on in December.

bajamikey - 10-5-2009 at 10:21 PM

Thanks Pam for the up date

flyfishinPam - 10-6-2009 at 07:19 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ncampion
Quote:
Originally posted by flyfishinPam
*it remains against the law of the park to discharge any liquids, solids, etc "salmuera" which is desal waste, falls into these restrictions.


Does this make all those crusing sailboats in the area illegal, since 90% of them have RO watermakers that discharge waste overboard?


[Edited on 10-6-2009 by ncampion]


it does not make the sailboats illegal but their discharging that waste into park waters is illegal. this kind of action was always illegal but obviously not enforced. those boats anchored at puerto escondido that do not move will have to find a way of properly disposing of their waste. there may not be proper facilities to do that at PE at the moment (I do not know) and there may not have been enough vigilance in the past but now there is a citizens vigilance program that will make formal complaints and make sure they're followed up on.

the no fishing zones are called areas of restoration they will be no nets no hooks, no take zones. they won't really affect sportfishing as they are areas we generally don't use. the commercial guys gave them up because they are generally of no use to them, OR they are areas that the pistoleros use. this will give us a way to identify the illegal pistoleros as anyone spearing fish anywhere in the park or taking within the no take zones will be in violation of the park rules that the citizens have put fourth.

flyfishinPam - 10-6-2009 at 07:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by gnukid
Quote:
Originally posted by ncampion
Quote:
Originally posted by flyfishinPam
*it remains against the law of the park to discharge any liquids, solids, etc "salmuera" which is desal waste, falls into these restrictions.


Does this make all those crusing sailboats in the area illegal, since 90% of them have RO watermakers that discharge waste overboard?

[Edited on 10-6-2009 by ncampion]


Pam has clearly written that these are proposals to be considered for implementation in the near future, possibly to be voted on in December.


actually this is a prohibition of the park that will remain unchanged so it remains the law.

Here is the law as it is written:

"Capitlo XIII. De las prohibiciones

Regla 68.- Durante la realizacion de actividades dentro del Parque, queda estrictamente prohibido:

I. Verter, descargar aguas residuales, aceites, grasas, combustibles, asi como desechos solidos, liquidos o cualquier otro tipo de sustancia, que pudiera poner en riesgo los valores biologicos o paisajisticos del Parque."

curiously, Regla 68, XIV states that the use of sunscreens and sunblocks that are not biodegradable is prohibited within the park.

I am curious as to wether the sunblocks for sale in town are ALL biodegradable.

[Edited on 10-6-2009 by flyfishinPam]

Skeet/Loreto - 10-6-2009 at 09:20 AM

Pam, I applaud your and others efforts>

I would love to see as much time and effort go into bringing in a University to educate the Children of the future>

Skeet/Loreto