Bad news for anglers and game fish in Mexico

Outposts has learned that Mexico has amended its controversial shark-fishing regulation (NOM-029) to allow a 30% rate of incidental bycatch to commercial longliners holding shark permits.

What does this mean to anglers who enjoy traveling to destinations such as Cabo San Lucas and Baja California’s East Cape region?

An increasingly diminished fishery, over time, for glamor species such as dorado and marlin.

That’s right. This is unsettling news for everyone but the longliners who, with their miles of baited hooks, are now allowed to keep and sell species reserved for sportfishing under a separate law.

Sportfishing interests and conservation groups were aware of the push for such an amendment. But it was published into law, quietly, last Friday, catching opponents by surprise.

“This is disastrous. We have complete and utter disorder in our Mexican fisheries,” complained Minerva Saenz, who presides over the sportfishing association in Los Cabos.

The longliners had already gained inroads into coastal waters, with various restrictions, under NOM-029. Now they’ve been given a stamp of approval to target the more lucrative species.

(Only the naive believe the longliners are even after sharks, or that they'll adhere to a 30% bycatch rate, which they’re being asked to monitor in their log books.)

And to think just last week there was positive news. Baja California Sur authorities seized two longline vessels in Magdalena Bay. On board were 10-12 tons of dorado, also known as mahi-mahi.

But this is a federal fisheries issue and CONAPESCA, Mexico's fisheries agency, for no sensible reason, continues to side with the commercial fishing industry.

Said Mike McGettigan, founder of the Portland, Ore.-based conservation group SeaWatch: “It's the most absurd legislation you've ever seen, but it flies in Mexico.”

From a conservation standpoint, it's a step backward into a mountain of manure, to be sure, serving as proof that a powerful lobby, up against a loosely-organized opposition, can get what it wants if it tries long and hard enough.

The fight is not over. A major campaign to overturn NOM-029 is being mounted. But another battle has been lost by opponents of the regulation, and it's clear who enjoys the upper hand. Outposts will publish developments as warranted.

--Pete Thomas

Photo by Pete Thomas / Los Angeles Times
Caption: Dorado such as this large specimen landed by Matt Miller off Cabo San Lucas are a prime target for longliners, even though they're supposedly off-limits to commercial fishermen.

Comments

[Jon K.]

That is the most amazing looking fish.

[Tomas Zyber]

Unfortunately, we should get used to this, in Mexico and around the world. The world population is rapidly outstripping the ocean's resources. A Canadian Fisheries study says commercial fishing will be done world wide by 2048, and the commerials won't disappear until they have vacumned so many fish from the ocean, that it is just not worth looking for them anymore. That will mean a lot of hungry people around the world.

When in comes down to feeding populace or saving sportfish... its the same argument that will soon bring the return of offshore drilling. Down to it... to many rats in the cage.

[Dan Rodriguez]

Mexico is a great place to fish, Many only get to see the great natural wonders of Mexico's shores by chasing the elusive Do-Do fish (Dorado) or the the Golden one. But if there is not alot to catch, many stay home.
Dorados grow quick...extremely quick. Somehow farming dorado in open waters for release or market may be an answer to financial difficulties and to preserve other valuable recources of Mexico.

Remember the Abalone ??? It's not something time will restore tomorrow unless people respect the ocean so it will respect us in equal harmonic balance.
We have to learn from our own faults since nature is a one time creation, no one can created nature but our creator above & within.

[The Fly Fisher]

Hotels, resorts and fishing fleets are suffering from the cost of fuel, high air fares and the [perceived] threat of street violence and drug wars in Mexico. Now this! While the nation of Belize institutes catch and release fishing for bonefish, permit and tarpon, Mexico's authorities have caved in to commercial interests. It's tragic and perhaps the end of sports fishing in Baja as we knew it.

[Rebecca]

Wow! That is some fish, I never saw anything like it in my life!

My dad used to take my sister and me fishing for small and large mouth bass in OH. He fished with my uncle for Walleye and Perch on Lake Erie. I am sure they never came across a fish like the one you caught.

[Bob Mays]

This is just another reminder of the corruption in Mexico. The sport limit for anglers is only two dorado per day. This is why we should boycott any and all Mexican products and any products made or assembled there. We should also suspend the NAFTA agreement so we can hit the corrupt money mongers where it might actully do some good.

[Tony B]

Are there any organizations that are actively fighting this? And where can we sign up?

[Richard N]

Tony B - there are a lot of pople in Baja California and the US fighting this bad law. Check out SeaWatch.org fo more information. I have posted links on my blog - http://bajaflyfishing.blogspot.com/ regarding this issue. Another good link is: http://roadtrekker.blogspot.com/2008/04/shark-minerva-vs-shark-norma.html.