Pangas is not only the name of my favorite style of fishing boat it is also an acronym for Pesca Artesanal del Norte del Golfo de California – Ambiente y Sociedad.
This project looks great - it is a great model for action that could easily be replicated in the southern part of the Gulf of California.
Showing posts with label Sea of Cortez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sea of Cortez. Show all posts
August 20, 2009
December 30, 2008
Positive Developments in the Northern Sea of Cortez
This press release details some of the efforts in the Northern portion of the Sea of Cortez to reduce impacts to the critically endangered Vaquita. These tiny porpoises (less than 5 feet long) are only found in the upper Sea of Cortez and fewer than 600 remain - some estimates place the total population at slightly over 200 (vaquita.org). Efforts to protect them should have added benefits of rebuilding fisheries in the region.
Mexico Works to Protect Endangered Sea of Cortez Porpoise
Monday, December 29, 2008
Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources
During the first two years of government, President Felipe Calderón's administration assigned over $174 million pesos to promote actions to protect the vaquita porpoise, $157 million of which were allocated to conservation and technological and productive reconversion, and $25 million to actions to preserve biodiversity in the Vaquita Sanctuary.
Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada explained that these resources have enabled 836 boats to stop fishing in the Protection Polygon and engage in other kinds of activities, and permitted the cancellation of 1,044 fishing permits, making 1,200 square kilometers of the Vaquita Sanctuary free of fishing and incidental capture.
These activities have been carried out in addition to the inspection and surveillance work undertaken on a permanent basis by the Naval Secretariat and the Federal Environmental Protection Bureau.
The government official added that the National Institutes of Ecology and Fishing engage in experimental work to test new, alternative forms of fishing that will not harm the vaquita and protect the environment. These include the prototype of a light drag net, a net enabling larger species to escape and traps for catching scale fish and shrimp.
As part of Semarnat's commitment to ensure the care and protection of endangered species, Elvira Quesada reported that the Acoustic Monitoring Cruise Ship recently observed a group of vaquitas on the coast of the state of Sonora, a crucial phenomenon, since there have been no records of the mammal in this part of the Upper Gulf of California for the past ten years.
The monitoring, carried out by Mexican, U.S., Canadian, English, German and Japanese experts, showed that the pod of porpoise detected is in good health and has not registered a decline in its population, estimated at 150.
He explained that the cruise ship's crew includes researchers from the Marine Mammals' Program of the National Institute of Ecology (INE); as well as specialists from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Center (NMFS).
He said that at the request of fishermen from San Felipe, and with the help of INE personnel, discussion and analysis workshops were held in the municipalities of San Felipe, Golfo de Santa Clara, and Puerto Peñasco (all in the Upper Gulf of California), where it was agreed that fishing activities would have sustainable planning, with ecological equilibrium for a period of 50 years.
Lastly, the Semarnat director said that joint work is being carried out with the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food; the governments and universities of the state of Baja California and Sonora; the Intercultural Center of Studies of Deserts and Oceans; and Pronatura to ensure that the pledges made are shared by the three orders of government and the scientific community, in order to advance towards the conservation and recovery of the species.
Mexico Works to Protect Endangered Sea of Cortez Porpoise
Monday, December 29, 2008
Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources
During the first two years of government, President Felipe Calderón's administration assigned over $174 million pesos to promote actions to protect the vaquita porpoise, $157 million of which were allocated to conservation and technological and productive reconversion, and $25 million to actions to preserve biodiversity in the Vaquita Sanctuary.
Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada explained that these resources have enabled 836 boats to stop fishing in the Protection Polygon and engage in other kinds of activities, and permitted the cancellation of 1,044 fishing permits, making 1,200 square kilometers of the Vaquita Sanctuary free of fishing and incidental capture.
These activities have been carried out in addition to the inspection and surveillance work undertaken on a permanent basis by the Naval Secretariat and the Federal Environmental Protection Bureau.
The government official added that the National Institutes of Ecology and Fishing engage in experimental work to test new, alternative forms of fishing that will not harm the vaquita and protect the environment. These include the prototype of a light drag net, a net enabling larger species to escape and traps for catching scale fish and shrimp.
As part of Semarnat's commitment to ensure the care and protection of endangered species, Elvira Quesada reported that the Acoustic Monitoring Cruise Ship recently observed a group of vaquitas on the coast of the state of Sonora, a crucial phenomenon, since there have been no records of the mammal in this part of the Upper Gulf of California for the past ten years.
The monitoring, carried out by Mexican, U.S., Canadian, English, German and Japanese experts, showed that the pod of porpoise detected is in good health and has not registered a decline in its population, estimated at 150.
He explained that the cruise ship's crew includes researchers from the Marine Mammals' Program of the National Institute of Ecology (INE); as well as specialists from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Center (NMFS).
He said that at the request of fishermen from San Felipe, and with the help of INE personnel, discussion and analysis workshops were held in the municipalities of San Felipe, Golfo de Santa Clara, and Puerto Peñasco (all in the Upper Gulf of California), where it was agreed that fishing activities would have sustainable planning, with ecological equilibrium for a period of 50 years.
Lastly, the Semarnat director said that joint work is being carried out with the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food; the governments and universities of the state of Baja California and Sonora; the Intercultural Center of Studies of Deserts and Oceans; and Pronatura to ensure that the pledges made are shared by the three orders of government and the scientific community, in order to advance towards the conservation and recovery of the species.
August 7, 2008
Running Down The Man
I have not seen this movie yet. The trailer looks good and captures the feel of beach fishing on the Eastcape between La Paz and San Jose Del Cabo. I look forward to checking it out.
July 30, 2008
August Dorado
Loreto is having a fantastic dorado season. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to make it down this summer. This picture is from an August evening trip a few years ago at the Bajo las Boyas northeast of town.My good friend Francisco "Cuervo" Muñoz is helping me untangle a good sized bull dorado. I hooked the fish with a simple fly of blue/white synthetic hair and stick on Mylar eyes tied in a "spread fly" style with a little epoxy around the head to give it the tall thin profile of a bait fish. The fly was unweighted and tied on a 2/0 hook.
If you can I recommend getting down sometime in the next month. I like August better than June and July because there tend to be fewer people around. Its also hotter and there is a greater risk of tropical storms and hurricanes but its all part of the fun!
July 22, 2008
Mangroves
Mangroves provide an important habitat for fish especially species like snapper, mullet, and snook.
Mexican Resorts Destroying Mangroves, Dooming Fisheries
This news report summarizes an article published this week by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and documents the importance and value of these important habitats.
Here's a link to the research article:
Mangroves in the Gulf of California increase fishery yields
Mexican Resorts Destroying Mangroves, Dooming Fisheries
This news report summarizes an article published this week by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and documents the importance and value of these important habitats.
Here's a link to the research article:
Mangroves in the Gulf of California increase fishery yields
July 9, 2008
Baja Conservation Links
There are a lot of people doing great things in Baja California. A couple of groups that could use your support are:
Eco Alianza de Loreto is a recently formed group that I look forward to working with in the future.
Propeninsula is a conservation leader in the region especially with the protection of sea turtles and is a member of the Grupo Tortuguero. Propeninsula hosts the annual sea turtle conference in Loreto. Generally in the last weekend in January, the meeting is always a good time.
Iemanya Oceanica works to protect sharks and rays in the Sea of Cortez. These species are critically important to the ecological health of the sea. Several Sea of Cortez guides who specialize in fly fishing are former commercial shark fishers and the one's that I have spoken with prefer the life of a sport fishing captain to the difficult life of commercial shark fishing. The long lines and gill nets used by shark fishers indiscriminately kill many sport fish and damage the ecosystem than sport fish depend on. Hopefully, low impact fly fishing can provide livelihoods for more of these hard working and knowledgeable tiburoneros. I urge everyone to release sharks and until populations of these long-lived and slow growing species can recover, avoid targeting them at all.
The American Fisheries Society has a Mexican Chapter. I plan on contacting them soon and seeing what I can learn about scientific research on fish populations in the Sea of Cortez.
Eco Alianza de Loreto is a recently formed group that I look forward to working with in the future.
Propeninsula is a conservation leader in the region especially with the protection of sea turtles and is a member of the Grupo Tortuguero. Propeninsula hosts the annual sea turtle conference in Loreto. Generally in the last weekend in January, the meeting is always a good time.
Iemanya Oceanica works to protect sharks and rays in the Sea of Cortez. These species are critically important to the ecological health of the sea. Several Sea of Cortez guides who specialize in fly fishing are former commercial shark fishers and the one's that I have spoken with prefer the life of a sport fishing captain to the difficult life of commercial shark fishing. The long lines and gill nets used by shark fishers indiscriminately kill many sport fish and damage the ecosystem than sport fish depend on. Hopefully, low impact fly fishing can provide livelihoods for more of these hard working and knowledgeable tiburoneros. I urge everyone to release sharks and until populations of these long-lived and slow growing species can recover, avoid targeting them at all.
The American Fisheries Society has a Mexican Chapter. I plan on contacting them soon and seeing what I can learn about scientific research on fish populations in the Sea of Cortez.
April 19, 2008
¡Toro!
¡Toro!
Also known as Jack Cervalle, the Toro is a great game fish. Often travelling in large schools, these fish are ferocious predators. Working together, schools of 100s of similar sized individuals will circle and trap bait against the shore. I have snorkeled through schools of Toro attacking sardinas and watched as they pinned the bait to the beach by forming a curtain from the surface to the bottom. At regular intervals Toro would dash into the bait school, grab a sardina, and then return to their place in the formation. Dragging a minnow pattern through a school of feeding Toro draws ferocious hits. This one is a smaller individual - note the 1/0 clouser minnow in its mouth. I'll post some bigger ones later. This fish was caught during the spring at El Cardonal between La Paz and Los Barriles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
