BajaNomad

Bahia Magdelena under siege.

DaliDali - 10-10-2013 at 08:33 AM

Interesting article from Gary Graham off Bloodydecks.

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/article/gary-graham-mag-bay-under-...

bajajudy - 10-10-2013 at 09:13 AM

How depressing

History says ...

durrelllrobert - 10-10-2013 at 09:36 AM

In the mid-20th century, the sardine fishery off the Monterey coast seemed bottomless, resulting in a network of canneries along the waterfront (Cannery Row, a place made famous by the John Steinbeck novel of the same name, and now a top tourist destination of Monterey). At their peak, they processed millions of pounds of fish each year while providing jobs to thousands*. In the 1940s, the Pacific coast sardine catch accounted for around 25% of the total seafood catch in the U.S., making it a key part of the war effort. But it was not to last. By the mid-1940s, the fish were gone and the canneries closing.

The current thinking is that a combination of overfishing, pollution, and the natural cycle of the sardine contributed to the rapid decline in the late 1940s.

www.ethicurean.com/2009/12/09/sardines/

Bob H - 10-10-2013 at 10:16 AM

Mag Bay was once regarded as one of the remaining pristine marine habitats in Baja, but it's on its way to becoming a desolate marine wasteland.

How SAD!:no::(:(:no:

Osprey - 10-10-2013 at 12:24 PM

Gary Graham recently reported that he followed a tuna pen south and east around the horn (Cabo San Lucas) on its way to La Paz where it will farm/grow giant tuna like all those strung out along the Pacific Coast of the peninsula.

That news seemed to be a dire warning that the SOC would lose its tuna and that sportfishing would be greatly affected/reduced. Why no mention of the pens in these articles about the big boats that catch the sardines we are talking about here? NOT ONE WORD. What gives?

Russ - 10-10-2013 at 12:47 PM

It Happened to Bahia Concepcion.:fire:

monoloco - 10-10-2013 at 12:58 PM

Thank you for posting this, everyone who has an interest in Baja needs to be aware of this ongoing disaster which has been inflicted on the environment by self-serving, short-sighted politicians. The dire consequences of what they are doing will have a lasting and permanent impact on many species.

Cypress - 10-10-2013 at 01:35 PM

Too bad! The waters around baja were a wonder to behold. Now they are being decimated.

bajabuddha - 10-10-2013 at 01:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Too bad! The waters around baja were a wonder to behold. Now they are being decimated.

I must interject, the word 'decimated' means 'reduced by 10%'. Too often over-used, when 'destroyed' is a closer description. The Sea of Cortez has been more than just decimated in the last 100 years of Northern occupation; not only by over-fishing, but the damming of the Colorado River has reduced the nutrients essential to the chain of life for the Sea to NADA. The Colorado delta system was equal to the Amazon and Nile deltas for aquatic and riparian wildlife before the series of water-takers were built. Now the northern part of the SoC is a barren water-desert from San Felipe north. That, coupled with unscrupulous fishing harvests have caused over one third of ALL SPECIES of life to vanish, as in extinct now. Just in the last 50 years the stories of fantastic catches are now just fables, compared to earlier tales.

IMHO, just like global climate change, the resulting catastrophy ain't gonna change. Too many puddin'-heads out there discounting facts and figures, pounding pulpits for greater profits and "save the whales, as long as it doesn't interrupt MY comfort zone". Progress marches on. What to do about it? Pound your fists in the sand and b-tch alot, just like we did for Glen Canyon many, many years ago. *sigh* Let's enjoy what we have left.

all gone...no more

EdZeranski - 10-15-2013 at 01:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Russ
It Happened to Bahia Concepcion.:fire:


Yep, A friend has yellowed pictures (remember Kodak Instamatic with 126 film??) of family trips to Conception Bay 40+ years ago fishing from the beach, a yellow tail for dinner. It looked grand and my friend's dad wasn't killing all the fish, just the daily beach catch for dinner. It looked like the now run down hotel/resort area in the hook just south of Requeson. A year or two ago when transiting a marine sanctuary zone I spotted gill net end and top floats. When asked the pangero just shrugged and said "Baja". We were in San Carlos last week and the plant was smoking great quns at 2 in the afternoon.

EdZ KG6UTS

motoged - 10-15-2013 at 01:46 PM

No Sardines...

None up north:

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Sudden+disappearance+sardines+serious+economic+ecological/9034961/story.html

jimgrms - 10-15-2013 at 02:17 PM

Just read a report on facebook, the sieners in british columbia have left the area with out catching any sardines , just plain not any to be had .

Russ - 10-15-2013 at 04:30 PM

I think that there should be a huge harvest of sea lions. I'll bet they'd make much better cat food and fertilizer.:light:

wessongroup - 10-15-2013 at 04:39 PM

Hurts when ya see it ...

Udo - 10-15-2013 at 04:42 PM

Not too long ago, Mag bay WAS the whale capital of Baja, that is why one part of it is called BAHIA DE LAS BALLENAS.

But no more.

So sad, when money speaks more than what is best for the rest of the world.
There IS a reason why there are TORTUGEROS in the east cape now.
Quote:
Originally posted by Bob H
Mag Bay was once regarded as one of the remaining pristine marine habitats in Baja, but it's on its way to becoming a desolate marine wasteland.

How SAD!:no::(:(:no:

Cardon Man - 10-16-2013 at 06:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Udo
Not too long ago, Mag bay WAS the whale capital of Baja, that is why one part of it is called BAHIA DE LAS BALLENAS.

But no more.

So sad, when money speaks more than what is best for the rest of the world.
There IS a reason why there are TORTUGEROS in the east cape now.



Actually, Mag Bay remains one o the best places in Baja to see whales up close. To say they are "no more" is not accurate at all. And not fair to the hard working tour operators who rely on whale watching visitors to make a good portion of their yearly income. Whale watching at Magdalena is world class.

Regarding Grupo Tortugero...there was tremendous animosity towards them from the commercial fishermen at Magdalena. Graffiti reading " Fuera Tortugeros " can still be seen around the area. Though I'm not entirely clear on why there was so much conflict.

monoloco - 10-16-2013 at 07:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by motoged
No Sardines...

None up north:

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Sudden+disappearance+sardines+serious+economic+ecological/9034961/story.html
"A $32-million commercial fishery has inexplicably and completely collapsed this year on the B.C. coast." Who writes this stuff? inexplicable? Really? The fishery took over 50 years to rebound after the last overfishing crash, and for the ensuing 20 years seiners all up and down the west coast exploit the hell out of the resource causing it to crash again. Doesn't seem all that inexplicable to me. Do these people have their heads buried in the sand, or what?

bajaguy - 10-16-2013 at 07:47 AM

Just follow the money. who in big business and government has to gain from this????.

It is unfortunate that the government can not see beyond the end of their nose, or their wallet.......once it is gone, it is gone.

bajaguy - 10-16-2013 at 07:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cardon Man
Whale watching at Magdalena is world class.





Think I'll stick to "world class" whale watching in Guerrero Negro.