BajaNomad

Fishing for great white sharks an alarming new trend in Sea of Cortez

Cisco - 4-28-2012 at 12:04 PM

Cutter was told that white sharks are being increasingly targeted for their jaws and fins, and that 13 large sharks have been killed during the past few weeks alone. "It's a relatively new thing for them," Cutter said.


http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/33441/fishing+for+great+...

Cypress - 4-28-2012 at 12:20 PM

The great whites will be exterminated, along with everything else of value in the Sea of Cortez.

redhilltown - 4-29-2012 at 12:08 AM

Hate to agree with Cypress but he is on the right track... The Mexican government controls the ENTIRE Sea of Cortez and they can do damn well do anything they want to do with it. And they don't and they won't as long as shark fins bring in huge amounts of dollars per pound

http://www.sharksavers.org/cn/education/sharks-are-in-troubl...

Totuava, Yellowtail, Dorado, Cabrilla, Turtles.......and now sharks.

The Sea of Cortez: Spotted Bay Bass Capital of the World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Edited on 4-29-2012 by redhilltown]

Ken Bondy - 4-29-2012 at 06:59 AM

That raises some interesting economic questions. It is possible, perhaps likely, that at least some of the whites taken in the SOC are part of the Guadalupe Island population. A thriving industry of shark-watching has arisen at Guadalupe, with boats running regularly out of both Ensenada and San Diego. The Mexican government protects the sharks at Guadalupe, and clearly benefits from that in the form of boat and license fees. I wonder if the income derived from killing whites in the SOC exceeds that derived from keeping them alive at Guadalupe. One thing is certain, if the killing continues the income from both killing them and protecting them will quickly go to zero.

The shark-watching industry in Australia and South Africa is huge and both governments protect the sharks and derive economic benefit from that policy. Having seen the magnificent resource that exists at Guadalupe, it seems to me that the Mexican government would be far better off by protecting whites in all Mexican waters and promoting the Guadalupe experience.