BajaNomad

Sardine Fishery off Baja?

CaptainMark - 5-19-2013 at 05:50 AM

Been lurking for a while, first post. YEAA!

Hey is anyone here familiar with the Sardine Fishery off Baja, mostly the Pacific side? I know the last year the catching was way off normal tons. Just wondering if there is any talk that the Sards are being over fished or if any signs they are starting back stronger this year.
Regards from Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Cheers,
CM

Osprey - 5-19-2013 at 05:57 AM

CM, in the last 20 years they harvested over 10 million tons just from the SOC. Now they have the same demand PLUS the tuna pens. No sardines left this year in the lower SOC -- they don't know just how deep this cuts into the whole Pacific biome/fishery and in this little sea but it's the same old song >> somebody will be singin' and dancin' while a whole lot of other somebodies will be diggin roots to survive.

chuckie - 5-19-2013 at 06:08 AM

Seems like it will never end, we were commenting yesterday on how lil bait there seems to be, and the number of species of fish that used to be prolific but now are seldom caught....When the "Sardine" boats are around here they seem to sweep up everything.....a lil off subject, but the increase in the number of gillnetters isnt helping either...

Russ - 5-19-2013 at 07:27 AM

I can only speak for the area just outside the Bahia Concepcion. It makes me want to cry in frustration. I'm not going to go into one of my usual tirades but I just shake my head when some people say, 'There are a lot of families that depend on the net fisheries.' Not for too much longer!

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2013 at 07:36 AM

I think that the only baja sardine fishery is on the pacific side is out of Ensenada.

56,000 metric tons a year. More than california and oregon combined. Over 1/3 of the entire west coast fishery, although the canadians are catching up.

I could not find any data from last year. The numbers seem to be holding steady now.

http://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/F2b_ATT1_SARDINE_...



[Edited on 5-19-2013 by Skipjack Joe]

DaliDali - 5-19-2013 at 07:59 AM

I can only speak for the Loreto SOC area.....

There has been NO sardinas (flat-iron herring) for quite sometime now.
Whereas in the past....one throw of a cast net used to fill up a bait tank.

Russ - 5-19-2013 at 08:10 AM

There are still sardine boats working here everyday/night. Just not in the numbers we've had in the past. The largest number this Spring I've counted at one time was only 11 boats but usually 3 to 6 on any given day unless the navy is present the 0.

DaliDali - 5-19-2013 at 08:12 AM

Omega3 fish oil is a hot commodity now.

Osprey - 5-19-2013 at 08:20 AM

One recent record year here in the SOC yielded almost 900,000 tons.

DaliDali - 5-19-2013 at 08:27 AM

Or 1,800,000,000 pounds......anyway you slice that......it's a sheet load!!!!

That is nearly the USA national debt!!
Chump change for sure!!

Mula - 5-19-2013 at 08:31 AM

There is a sardine cannery in Lopez Mateoz.
They have 3 boats that can haul in 100 tons (I think - not exact).

It is the MarEden Cannery. It was built in 1960.
Still operating today.
Employs about 200 people _ when at full operation and cans other things when no sardines.

I have bought their canned sardines and tuna.
It's o.k., if you like that kind of thing.

Osprey - 5-19-2013 at 09:31 AM

Dali, I think the article I read gave the figures in metric tons.

BajaRat - 5-19-2013 at 09:48 AM

No bait no fish

shari - 5-19-2013 at 09:54 AM

there is a small scale sardine fishery here on the mid west coast of Baja that the fishing cooperativas do to provide sardines to bait the lobster traps and once in a while we see large sardine net boats working here...not sure where they are from though.

DaliDali - 5-19-2013 at 10:55 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Osprey
Dali, I think the article I read gave the figures in metric tons.


Ah ok.....then UP that weight in pounds!!
A sheet load in any case.

DaliDali - 5-19-2013 at 10:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
there is a small scale sardine fishery here on the mid west coast of Baja that the fishing cooperativas do to provide sardines to bait the lobster traps and once in a while we see large sardine net boats working here...not sure where they are from though.


Do the co-ops also use the carcasses from fish and the trimmings from the abalone for those traps?

CaptainMark - 5-19-2013 at 11:27 AM

Hey Guys,
Thanks so much for the input. Yes I'm familiar with Ensenada, been there several times a year for the last dozen or so and love it. I got a Sardine Producer there that makes a bait product from the cut scrap for my company in Florida. Over the recent years the demand for the Sards from the Tuna Farms have really changed things there. I can also suggest not to judge anything by what the heavy hand of NOAA does to regulate the Sardines off the U.S. coast. I know sometimes a fishery like Sardines will just take a few years off every now and then like the cycles of the ocean. Just wondering if there was any local knowledge and also a good excuse to say hello to the BN Forum. I can't wait till I can spend more time exploring Baja but as you might know; hard honest work ain't paying off in the U.S. like it use to.
Cheers,
CM

sancho - 5-19-2013 at 12:14 PM

Don't know if you are going to get the exact info, as
you probably know, there are Bluefin Tuna holding
pens off Ensenada, I believe they are fed sards,
I assume you are familiar with bloodydecks fishing
message board, you might pick some info there

Russ - 5-19-2013 at 12:44 PM

CM, I was informed about a week ago that they are processing sardines somewhere in Santa Rosalia. Before this I had never heard of any netters doing business with the area they rape. This maybe a good opportunity for you to come down and see if this fairly new processor can make what you need. Don't tell anyone you got the info from me. I would never promote business for those sea rapers.

CaptainMark - 5-19-2013 at 01:39 PM

No doubt I'm a sport-recreational fisherman at heart and know there has to be a balance of harvested resources. I like to stay informed of all data as well as "on the water" local opinions and will gather info and certainly keep an eye on this next Sard Season. From my time doing this kind of biz in Baja, last year looks to be an anomaly.
Thanks,
CM

shari - 5-19-2013 at 05:25 PM

the coops have the sardines available as bait but some fishermen for example love to take our fish carcasses from sport fishing for bait but dont use the coop carcasses. The abalone trimmings are made into sausage so there is no waste.

CaptainMark - 5-20-2013 at 06:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Russ
CM, I was informed about a week ago that they are processing sardines somewhere in Santa Rosalia. Before this I had never heard of any netters doing business with the area they rape. This maybe a good opportunity for you to come down and see if this fairly new processor can make what you need. Don't tell anyone you got the info from me. I would never promote business for those sea rapers.


Hey thanks for the heads up. If you happen to know the name of that new plant in SR please forward it to me. I'll owe you a steak and a beer.
Cheers,
Mark@CaptainMarks.com

Russ - 5-20-2013 at 09:32 AM

Pescador, Do you know?

CaptainMark - 5-20-2013 at 11:04 AM

Thanks for the email Russ.
Man, it's raining so hard in Florida today I'm hearing voices telling me to build an Ark.

DavidE - 5-20-2013 at 11:49 AM

All my male neighbors are pesceros de sardinas in Bahia Asuncion, and they have been unemployed since March.

A couple of barcos de sardinas anchored in the bay last week for a few days. Talk was they were searching off Pta Engenia for any signs of sardines. They departed and my neighbors are still unemployed. There is chatter about the month of August being when they hope the fish will return.

Hope this helps

[Edited on 5-20-2013 by DavidE]

CaptainMark - 5-20-2013 at 04:27 PM

Wonder how many metric tons a day I can get by spearfishin......

I've heard the sea surface temps have been funky the last few years, can anyone confirm?
Cheers,
CM