Hot Action in Loreto

Fishing in Loreto for dorado and sailfish has been hot this summer. Pam at the Baja Big Fish Company finally posted a fishing report and it looks like things have been fun.

Henry Collard, FONMAR, and a Flurry of News Articles

The situation with the Shark Norma and the three ships busted in Baja waters over the last few weeks has been generating a lot of press. Some of the articles I have been reading include:

Mexican 'Fishing Mafia' Charged for Catching Sportfishing Reserved Species

Baja bust nets 10 - 12 tons of dorado

Mexican "fishing mafia" tagged for three illegal catches

Conservation efforts of The Billfish Foundation in Baja region beginning to pay off

Illegal fishing has had a phenomenal season, too

Impuestos "subsidian" la pesca furtiva - Taxes subsidize illegal fishing

Que se reparta el producto decomisado

"A pesar de que el propietario del producto, Henry Collard, quien es al parecer el presidente de la Cámara de la Industria Pesquera con sede en Mazatlán, Sinaloa, de manera prepotente intentó intimidar vía telefónica al encargado de CONAPESCA, Enrique Zapata, diciéndole que era amigo del Comisionado de Pesca, Ramón Corral, no logró su objetivo y le fue asegurado el producto y las embarcaciones."

Saquean nuestros mares

Marlin Magazine and others picked up this story.

Some important articles from El Sud Californiano regarding the Shark Norma and Henry Collard include:

Continúa la lucha contra la NOM-029

La NOM-029 pone en riesgo la subsistencia de la pesca deportiva y regional: ANR

Reconoce Billfish Foundation lucha por conservar picudos

Van por 3 mil toneladas de picudos

Depredan picudos al amparo de la NOM-029

Good News / Bad News

I've had a busy week and have not been able to post even through there is a lot to write about.

First the Bad News:
An article in the LA Times this week is reporting that the Shark Norma (NOM-029) was amended his month to allow up to 30% bycatch of species reserved for sport fishing. This awful law has taken a turn for the worse and uses shark fishing as a smoke screen to bring large ships into previously closed areas including the Sea of Cortez and strip mine the last viable populations of sport fish. Unless stopped this law appears headed to destroy the sport fishing based economy of Baja California Sur.

Bad News for Anglers and Game Fish in Mexico

But there is some good news out there:
The SeaWatch.org webpage is back up and provides a lot of valuable information in their fight to save the fish of Baja's waters. I recommend that everyone read this webpage, educate themselves, and support this outfit.

Mexico does not have to continue down the path to fisheries destruction. Belize recent made catch and release mandatory for bonefish, permit, and tarpon. For more information check out the This is Fly Blog. Belize is a small poor country but they see long term economic value of these sport fisheries.

¡Viva México!

Today is Mexican Independence day. Throughout the country there will be many great parties that started yesterday and went all night. I'm disappointed to be missing out on all the fun. Its sort of like a wild New Years and 4th of July party crossed with a rock concert all done Mexican style.

At 11:00 pm last night President Calderon gave the traditional "grito" or cry to the crowd gathered in the Plaza de la Constitución. The shout of ¡Viva México! and the ringing of the bell commemorate Padre Hidalgo's call from the church tower that signaled the start of the revolution.

¡Mexicanos, vivan los héroes que nos dieron Patria. Viva Hidalgo, viva Morelos, viva Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez! ¡Viva Allende. Viva Aldama y Matamoros! ¡Viva la Independencia Nacional! ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México¡ ¡Viva México!"

Even though it was a rainy night it looks like everyone had a good time in Mexico City.



Mark your calenders-2010 is Mexico's bicentenial. It should be a fun party plus the fishing is fantastic this this time of year.

La Paz Fishing Video

I was just checking out the AEG Media web page and found this video:

Casting Shooting Heads

Many anglers new to Baja Fly fishing struggle casting the lines commonly used here. Dan Blanton gives a great explanation of the technique used to cast lines on his web page:

The Shooting Head Casting Basics

Jim Teeny has a good video on his page that is also useful.

It is not difficult to cast the heavy sink tip shooting heads but I strongly recommend practicing on the water before your first trip. It is much harder to learn standing on a rocking deck with fish crashing all around you.

Minerva Smith and the Shark Norma

I first ran across Minerva's shop about a number of years ago after breaking my only saltwater flyrod on my first day of a baja trip. I'll save the story for another day but the short version is that I got tossed in the beach break at La Playita just east of San Jose Del Cabo. It was basically impossible to find fly gear in Baja back then. The next day we were headed to La Paz. Someone, I don't remember who, suggested Minerva's shop in Cabo San Lucas. So we took the western route to La Paz and stopped in. To my relief leaning in the corner with a more than fair price was a G-Loomis 10-weight. I still have that rod and fish with it regularly.

But.... the reason I was rambling about Minerva was that I wanted to post a link to this Baja Road Trekker column and her fight against the Shark Norma.

FONMAR

The following was copied from a thread on the Baja Nomads Forum posted by Don Alley - it is an email update from The Billfish Foundation:

"What Your Fishing License Fees Can Do

Illegal Fishing Bust in Mag BayCommunity based enforcement efforts supported by The Billfish Foundation (TBF) through the Baja California Sur Center for Marine Protection and funded by the recreational fishing license fees paid to FONMAR have resulted in three recent seizures of illegally harvested dorado. TBF was instrumental in getting FONMAR established so that angler's license fees would go directly to assisting conservation and protection of the fish resources.

Three weeks ago, a vessel was seized in Loreto and, this past weekend, two boats owned by commercial longline king Henry Collard were seized and charged with illegally harvesting dorado while using a shark permit in Magdelena Bay. Collard, a prominent representative of commercial fishing interests, was reported in El Sudcaliforniano to have threatened fisheries enforcement agents that he "is a personal friend of Ramon Corral and you can't do this to me!" This statement does not do much for Corral's already tainted image by accusations of wrong doing by his own Conapesca personnel.

Corral is the head of Mexico's fisheries agency CONAPESCA and has been an unyielding supporter of the shark Nom-029 that attempted to allow the "incidental" harvest of billfish, dorado and other species within Mexico's 24 year old conservation
zones.

Apparently the recent interest of U.S. enforcement officials in the import of illegally caught dorado has persuaded CONAPESCA that they need to concede TBF's position that there is no basis in Mexican law to allow bycatch in the conservation zones and enforce the federal fisheries law," said TBF President Ellen Peel. Full details of the story will follow in the upcoming issue of Billfish magazine."

The Economic Value of Sport Fishing

Tropical Storm Lowell has decayed into a troical depression, turned east and is now headed towards La Paz. It should provide some rain and not much else.

I just found this great study organized by the Bill Fish Foundation:

Socio-Economic Study Completed in Mexico: Sportfishing Brings in Big Bucks

The full report is available at:

The Economic Contributions of Anglers to the Los Cabos Economy

Para leer el resumen ejecutivo del estudio socioeconómica en español, por favor clic aqui.

Tropical Storm Lowell

Although it is dying fast over the relatively cool Pacific waters, Tropical Storm Lowell appears to be headed straight for Magdelena Bay. The region is just drying out from Tropical Storm Julio and could really use a break. Stay out of the arroyos for the next few days and be prepared!

More Dorado Poaching

As predicted by many, the new fishing regulation known as the shark norma or NOM-029 that opened waters with 50 km of the coastline to commercial long-line fishing for sharks is being used as cover to fish for species reserved for sport fishing such as dorado and bill fish.

Today's Sud Californiano leads with the headline Saquean Nuestros Mares or "They are Looting our Sea"

El Sudcaliforniano

7 de septiembre de 2008

Gustavo Alonso Alvarez

Baja California Sur.- Un segundo barco fue detenido en Puerto San Carlos por la tarde del viernes 5 al encontrársele 5 toneladas de dorado, especie reservada para la pesca deportiva, la embarcación de nombre "Ellen" es al parecer propiedad de la misma empresa mazatleca a la que pertenece "Mildred", barco también detenido el viernes con 8 toneladas de dorado.

Al parecer los barcos tiburoneros siguen enfocándose a la pesca de especies reservadas al amparo de su permiso, lo cual demuestra que tanto la NOM-029 como la determinación de aplicar un 30% de pesca de acompañamiento para tolerar la pesca de otras especies, como el dorado, no están funcionado de la forma deseada, o bien, la vigilancia sigue siendo insuficiente.

El "Ellen" se dice que es propiedad de una persona con el nombre de Henry Collard, de la empresa "Odemaris" con sede en Mazatlán, Sinaloa; "Ellen" traía 5 toneladas de dorado y una de tiburón, evidentemente la pesca de acompañamiento fue la de tiburón.

Si se aplicara la tasa de incidentalidad, por la tonelada de tiburón pescada, el "Ellen" tenía derecho de traer consigo poco más de 300 kilos de dorado, no 5 toneladas. El caso del Mildred es similar, pues para las 12 toneladas de tiburón que traía tenía derecho a un máximo de 4 toneladas de dorado y no 8.

Esta información fue proporcionada por pescadores de la zona y ayer sábado no fue posible confirmarla con el personal de guardia de la CONAPESCA, que al parecer se mantenía en operativo en puertos y mar, de modo que los datos son extraoficiales.

Carmen Island Ferry

This video was posted by Pam from the Baja Big Fish Company last year. It still cracks me up. It really captures the Baja style well.

Palmas Altas Hotel

I wouldn't recommend this place for everybody. If you're uptight, trying to impress people, or looking for luxury go somewhere else. But if you are looking for a place to stay in Loreto and all you need is a clean place to crash for a reasonable price the Hotel Palmas Altas is it. As a hot weather bonus they have good air conditioning and a small pool. Surprisingly, most moderately priced hotels in Loreto do not have a pool.





The two slightly funky modular buildings have about 25 rooms - I have never found the place crowded although in the summer it can be popular with vacationing Mexican families. The back of the municipal auditorium is across the street so if there is an event you will hear it. The walls are somewhat thin so if you are bothered by noise this might not be the place for you. The rooms are inexpensive, about $25 US/ night, but small. A National Geographic photographer I met at the pool was renting two rooms for the summer - One to sleep in and another as an office.

Hotel Palmas Altas
Blvd Adolofo Lopez Mateos
Tel: 01152 (613) 135-1429

Loreto Fishing Map

Here's a map I put together a while ago showing the northern fishing spots where many of Loreto's dorado are caught. The locations in red also produce jurel (yellow tail) and other species although pangas rarely venture to the outermost spots during the rough winter conditions.