Osprey - 5-27-2011 at 07:17 AM
A look in my computer reminds me the fight to save the Cabo Pulmo reef/park has been going on a very long time -- began long before Hansa even thought
about buying the big chunk of property next door. I've been writing about it since 2003.
Life in the (Coral) Colonies
To facilitate an investigative dialogue about the coral reef at Cabo Pulmo please allow me to introduce G.M. G.M. is short for Godmom. In this
study God means all known deities. Mom is Mother Nature -- in this way we may be able to satisfy deists and pantheists alike.
I talk to G.M. I’m neither an apostle nor a scientist. G.M. does not “speak to me” in the Biblical sense. Our meetings are informal. This little
chat came about today, March 1st, 2005, as I was driving back from the airport at Los Cabos, not far from the coral colony we were discussing.
G.M. “How do you like the little reef in Baja California?”
Me. “Love it. It’s very unique. But it’s so sad. It’s disappearing.”
G.M. “Why is that?”
Me. “Lots of reasons: bleaching, damage by marine predators, marine toxins, denizen imbalance caused by overfishing, human intrusion like damage
done by boat anchors, pollutants.”
G.M. “How long has this been going on?”
Me. “I don’t know. By the way, did you just drop this little thing all by its lonesome or is this the last relic of what were many east coast
peninsular colonies?”
G.M. “This must be the last little bit. There were huge colonies all along the coast and the tip.”
Me. “Well, we are trying to save this last little bit.”
G.M. “Can I help?”
Me. “Sure. Just keep the El Niño effect down below where it’s been for the next several hundred years. That would help a lot.”
G.M. “What are you doing to save the coral?”
Me. “We are reducing the size of the reserve. That will allow the place to have visible, enforceable boundaries. Only then can we effectively keep
the humans from harvesting, littering, polluting. We might pay the locals to selectively harvest the urchins that are killing the coral. They can
sell the urchins, replace the loss of fishing dollars. We are going to reintroduce reef denizens which were devastated or depleted to unviable
numbers, bring back the natural balance that was here long before humans arrived here.”
G.M. “What about Mexico, the Mexicans?”
Me. “The Mexican scientists seem to be responsible, want to help. The bureaucrats have their own agendas based on power, political advancement,
and, of course, money. The people who are paid to manage the country have traditionally treated its resources like things on the shelves of a big
market — they’ve sold all the lumber, all the fish in their waters. We will undoubtably have to pay some people just to get the rights to protect the
coral otherwise any plan we put forward that does not bring in millions of taxable pesos will be defeated in committee.
The problem is, we don’t need more tourists and their dollars — that just brings more pressure on the coral — we need authority to proceed, time to
recruit volunteers from all over the world who want to help in any way they can; we need to be left alone while we find ways to mollify the local
would-be Mexican Disneyland entrepreneurs, time to find ways to replace income lost to the natives who have lived on the marine animals on or near the
reef for many generations. In short, we need a miracle.”
G.M. “Don’t look at me. I can do the El Niño thing, the rest is up to you.”
Skeet/Loreto - 5-27-2011 at 10:32 AM
Thanks for the update:
In 1968 on my second trip to Baja I wnet to Cabo Pulmo, landed my little tail-dragger at the small runway about a1/4 mile from the reef.
I had a regular camera encased in a clear ,watertight Plastic container,
Went diving and was right on the Reef when i got a couple of good Shots of a TGransparent Fish!!
In the Photos the fish is outlined very clear. I have always had much respect for that area. Hope it lasts another few Years.
Skeet
bajajudy - 5-27-2011 at 01:48 PM
This is a sad situation for sure.
The Tribuna ran an article a few days back saying that Hansa is 600million euros in debt and has left several projects unfinished.
dtbushpilot - 5-27-2011 at 04:01 PM
Maybe you should go back to writing about jellyfish Jorge, this didn't seem to rile up the keyboard couch potatoes like the jellyfish story did
thanks for the air the other day, we had a nice but somewhat eventfull ride to Cabo Pulmo, I'll tell you about it next time I see you. How about some
lunch at La Costa next week?....dt
Bajahowodd - 5-27-2011 at 04:10 PM
Unless there is a fundamental change in the priorities of those who "run" Mexico, this project will, eventually, be built in some form.
As Judy points out, if true, the developers are not currently in any position to go forward. And that is merely symptomatic of the current world
economy.
It is the curent economic stagnation that will delay this project, for who knows how long.
Consider that the resorts in Los Cabos are at something like 1/2 capacity, and that the Puerto Los Cabos project just outside of San Jose is just
about moribund.
Given the fact that Los Cabos is easily accessed via the international airport, with a short cab ride to virtually all the exisitng resorts, it just
seems to me that it's gonna be a long, long time before anyone has the incentive to break ground at Cabo Pulmo.
My only caveat might be that if it is drug money laundering by the cartels involved, it may just happen sooner than later.
Iflyfish - 5-27-2011 at 04:12 PM
DT,
I tried to muster up some outrage, but just got acid reflux. Saving this place is a no brainer, I hope that the planned project(s) go belly up and
that GM starts to give Osprey some lottery numbers.
Now, on the subject of invisable fish, I have landed a lot of them, they are great to vacuum pack, are not messy at all and can be any size I want
them to be.
I love urchin with a little wasabi and soy sauce and will eat them on the spot if some enterprising soul wants to set up a stand!
IflyfishwhenIamnotsnorkelingandcatchinginvisablefish