fishinrich
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new gill net tactics
The gill netters around the punta chivato area have been using a new method for snagging fish I have not seen. In the past it was usually one boat
stringing out there nets in the evening and then returning the next day to pull them in and collect the catch. The latest method is a team effort
involving up to 5 panga crews. They all set there nets completely wrapping a point or section of shore line. Then it's everyone in the water chasing
the fish from shore out into the nets, guys splashing and diving, pangas racing around creating quite a racket. This is kept up for about two hours
then the nets are pulled and the fish de-tangled and when I say they keep everything I mean everything. I never knew angle fish were edible. If the
catch is good they stop for the day, if not so good they move on to another spot. fishin rich
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Bajalero
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It's a real shame Rich.
The first time I saw the local fishermen netting around the rocky points at PC was about 10 or so years ago .
At that time I thought WTF!- These idiots just don't give a crap
(and to those so inclined please spare me the poor Mexican feeding his 8 kids diatribe)
It wasn't necessarily a weather related occurrence , they were netting the reefs even in good water conditions.
They were netting the reefs when they could have been offshore catching dorado , barillete and scores of other types of fish.
So why are they doing this .? The only thing I can figure is that it was the last untouched fishery and an easy catch.
The shrimpers relentlessly dredged the bottom of St. Inez bay and no one cared.
The hooka divers scoured clean every rock from Santa Rosalia through the whole of Bahia Conception and no one cared.
The international sieners stripped out he pelagics and no one cared.
The multitudes of panga fishermen depleted the the deep water reefs of the largest population of bottom fish and now most of them are involved in
calamar and shark fishing - the trash species-(no offense to sharks and squid).
Add to that the pressure that the Gringos and Canucks put on the fisheries by taking way more than they could ever possibly eat and "giving it away"
trying to feed whole villages is just insane.
Is it any wonder that the once beautiful and abundant underwater near shore habitat in the Punta Chivato area is now largely a barren , lifeless,
algae covered and uninteresting moon scape?
I'm sure its happening all over the Sea of Cortez. It is now relatively a "dead sea" compared to what it was even 10 or 20 years ago and If different
attitudes and protections aren't instilled or installed we will witness its ultimate demise
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Skeet/Loreto
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But , Just Think, of all the Money that was made, All the People who ate the Fish, and all the Fun the sportsfisherman had catching the fish!!!
That is nearly as good as the Sierra Club lying to all the people to get them to send money so that the Adminstrators can "Live High off the Hog"!!!!!
It is like telling a Chinese Farmer that he cannot Grow Rice any longer.
Who will feed the world if it is not the Person who is willing to risk their labor and Money to Produce Food for the Billions?
Should we allow the " If it feels Good " bunchto feed us Horse Puckey?
I had a Good 35 years in the Sea Of Cortez and I can still go 5 miles off Loreto and catch 35 Lb. Yellow Tail!!! I can go into Loreto and catch all
the Shrimp I can eat in a year with one Drop of the Shrimp Trap!!.
There is nothing anyone can do to stop what is happening except the mexicans so go ahead and Bat your head aganist the Wall it will not stop until all
the fish are gone, then in several years it will come back.
Skeet/Loreto
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tehag
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Nets etc.
Alas, this is true, and the future doesn't look very good for the Gulf. Or the globe either, for that matter. Each exploiter blames the others for any
decline, and they gang up and deplete that which they harvest until recovery is unlikely.
There is an excelent treatment of this kind of resource irresponsibility on a global scale titled, "Song for a Blue Ocean." Good exposure of the
finger pointing and responsibility ducking that is practiced all over the world while the resources vanish with nobody taking any blame.
The tragic end result is usually about the same; the market movers switch to something else, perhaps somewhere else, and the actual fishers are
abandoned and more broke than ever without even their traditional livelihood as an option.
Cod, blue fin tuna, abalone, sardine, and salmon have all reached levels of near local extinction and may soon join the dodo and passenger pigeon in
having been used entirely up for the very short term benefit of relatively few.
About all we can do as individuals is respect fish regulations and encourage others to do the same. AND TALK ABOUT IT!!!
Bombing trawlers is frowned upon.
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Sharksbaja
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Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
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Teach em new tricks
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajalero
It's a real shame Rich.
The first time I saw the local fishermen netting around the rocky points at PC was about 10 or so years ago .
At that time I thought WTF!- These idiots just don't give a crap
(and to those so inclined please spare me the poor Mexican feeding his 8 kids diatribe)
It wasn't necessarily a weather related occurrence , they were netting the reefs even in good water conditions.
They were netting the reefs when they could have been offshore catching dorado , barillete and scores of other types of fish.
So why are they doing this .? The only thing I can figure is that it was the last untouched fishery and an easy catch.
The shrimpers relentlessly dredged the bottom of St. Inez bay and no one cared.
The hooka divers scoured clean every rock from Santa Rosalia through the whole of Bahia Conception and no one cared.
The international sieners stripped out he pelagics and no one cared.
The multitudes of panga fishermen depleted the the deep water reefs of the largest population of bottom fish and now most of them are involved in
calamar and shark fishing - the trash species-(no offense to sharks and squid).
Add to that the pressure that the Gringos and Canucks put on the fisheries by taking way more than they could ever possibly eat and "giving it away"
trying to feed whole villages is just insane.
Is it any wonder that the once beautiful and abundant underwater near shore habitat in the Punta Chivato area is now largely a barren , lifeless,
algae covered and uninteresting moon scape?
I'm sure its happening all over the Sea of Cortez. It is now relatively a "dead sea" compared to what it was even 10 or 20 years ago and If different
attitudes and protections aren't instilled or installed we will witness its ultimate demise |
\
I dove the Chivato area reefs last year and was literally shocked at the absence of reef species.
Are these fishermen making tons of money in their effort to harvest ALL the species? Of course not!
The fact that the near-shore activity has become the fastest way to harvest biomass reflects the mind-set of the ordinary net-setting panguero.
It seems that Mexicos failing attempt to manage the fisheries in the SOC is leading to an accelerated depletion in near-shore species.
Management of this fragile environment is non-existent and without some huge call for action Lero is right, it will happen much faster than we can
imagine. The shallow water species are a weathervane in the overall dynamics of the ocean. The ignorance and lack of any real enforcment or
management certainly is a factor.
My hope is that very soon Mexico will take heed and make efforts on the ground level. The folks who do this in-shore raping of all availabe critters
must be ignorant of the permanent ramifications, much like So. Cal in the 50s-70s.
I am in the process of hailing a reknowned expert and advocate of the SOC to beg and influence the (local) agencies in charge to partake of an
educational approach which would reach many. Education and alternative fisheries and techniques would be prioritized at the ground level.
This may seem a far-fetched plan but has worked very well in the South Pacific.
Lero is correct in stating "no one cares". It is imperative that they be made to care. The economies of Baja and elsewhere are now very concerned in
a capitalist sort of way. Their dependence now on southbound money is paramount. This could ultimately make a difference because I know that some of
us gringos who help drive their new economy do give a damn.
Put the blame where it lays. Restrictions are a must and a way of life when the balance is tipped so much.
I don't believe that we can't make a difference whether it hurts or not. Thinking we can't may be part of the problem in itself.
Never say "can't"!
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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Mood: mellow
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sharks
What a great attitude, hopefully you, us can do something about it. If we knew what to do or how to help,maybe we could make a difference.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Skeet/Loreto
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If we as a Culture would dispute the New Culture, that is, the I don.t care attitude, the thinking and always acting in Self-interest, only accepting
one side of the Problem Bunch, we might be able to slow the process.
In the USA today, there is too much of a division in the Political Field to get much of anything Accoumplished.
How do you teach a Society to consume a different kind of Food?
Skeet
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Hook
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Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Really, the only way to change this.....
....is to provide them with an alternate source of income, BUT NOT A SOCIALISTIC DOLE FROM SOME ORGANZATION. It needs to be something that
legitimately produces something that has a legitimate market.
What that is, I don't know.
But Mexico just never seems to have the wherewithall to enforce the regulations they need for the fisheries, so an alternative to fishing would seem
the only answer. Someone needs to provide them with an alternate "self-interest", as it is difficult to convince subsistence fishers to act in any
other manner.
Some gringos and Canucks are still in denial that there is even a decline in the Sea.  Go figure.
[Edited on 11-28-2005 by Hook]
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Sharksbaja
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Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
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Salvageable?
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
....is to provide them with an alternate source of income, BUT NOT A SOCIALISTIC DOLE FROM SOME ORGANZATION. It needs to be something that
legitimately produces something that has a legitimate market.
What that is, I don't know.
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Hooks right, the SOC couldn't handle the load if all switched targets.
I think it's pretty obvious tho. Just look at coastal developmnet around the globe and realize the transition is into touism and good part of the
allure are their pristine waters. Because of Mexicos terrible record of tourism development compared to, say, Figi, has left them decades behind in
this realm. What kills me is that they(gov) will sacrifice thje basic industry that drove people south in the first place not to mention the serious
impact on other fishery(Nautical Ladder) and income generating sources, especially potential new tourists and property owners.
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Hook
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Hey, wait a minute
Of course.........................BAMBOO!!!!!!!!
Actually, I applaud JR and his efforts. It really is the right sort of direction. I just don't think it can supplant all the illegal commercial
fishing that goes on down there.
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bajadave1
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Location: Los Barriles, BCS
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Skeet/Texas
This is the Baja fishing & hunting board. Not a "US political board".
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Skeet/Loreto
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Dave 1 "A Newbie"..
If you don't like it , don't read it!
SEX SEX SEX SEX
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