What happened to the Hammerheads of LaPaz ?

[Salt]

I came across this sad article about the destructive fishing pracices in the area while planning a trip. If this isn't a perfect example where educating the locals about the value of ecotourism would be helpful, i don't know what is.


What Happened to the Hammerheads of La Paz ?
by Johnny Friday, April 1, 2008
http://www.seawatch.org/nletter/Martillo-Mogote_PDF.pdf

excerpts:
As the Sea of Cortez's commercial fishery has declined, fishermen must travel farther, stay out at sea longer, and use more fuel. For many, the expense of traveling to distant fishing grounds for a meager catch just doesn't make sense. A number of fishermen from La Paz have decided to set their gillnets in outer La Paz Bay during the winter months. They know the nets will fill with newborn sharks at this time of year, and that even though the small sharks are nearly worthless, they will be able to make a little money because their operating costs are also very low.Unfortunately, this is a critical shark nursery for the Hammerheads

La Paz was once one of the top five dive destinations in the world. Divers from all over the globe used to visit to dive with and photograph hammerhead sharks at dive locations such as El Bajo and Las Animas. Now, La Paz does not even rate in the top twenty locations.

 

[supergaijin]

Better yet is a movement to stop the big boy commercial fishing fleet that has helped remove 90% of the large fish in the ocean.

When compared to the massive capabilities of ships coming from Spain, Netherlands, China etc that set up just outside the EEZ, small operators like this have almost no impact. Ted Danson's Oceana is a good read.

Ted Danson on His New Book, ?Oceana? | The Beacon: Oceana's Blog

 

[Salt]

Thanks for the link. As it mentions, our oceans are facing several complex issues including global warming, acidification, and overfishing. I am a member of Oceana and send them money from time to time. I encourage others too as well.

 

[Salt]

Here is another good article on overfishing in the Sea of Cortez from an organization called Sea Watch. I might donate some money.

This over-fishing pains me. But here I am, a wealthy american, upset because I can't see hammerhead sharks when I go scuba diving on vacation. I am sure there is not a lot of sympathy from the poor fisherman who actually have to eke out a living there. I just wish they could see the big picture, that their fishing practices are not sustainable, that eco-tourism, fishing tourism, and diving tourism can bring substantial money in to the local economy. Congratulation to the Costa Rica government for getting it right. I wish the Mexican government would too.

The Problem: Destruction of the Sea of Cortes
"Owned by All Mexicans and Managed by None"
Sea Watch | The Problem: Destruction of the Sea of Cortes