Killing Great White Sharks Now Big Business In The Sea Of Cortes
“Commercial fishing has become so difficult in the Sea of Cortez that several of the few remaining commercial fisherman are so desperate that they are now targeting the ocean’s greatest predator, the Great White Shark”
Help Isla Espiritu Santo
Sea Watch backs campaign to modify the proposed management plan for Espiritu Santo Island to include the removal of gillnets from inshore reefs. CLICK HERE to help us by sending a letter to Conanp during a short public comment period.
Help Isla Espiritu Santo
Sea Watch backs campaign to modify the proposed management plan for Espiritu Santo Island to include the removal of gillnets from inshore reefs. CLICK HERE to help us by sending a letter to Conanp during a short public comment period.
Biosphere needs vigilance day and night.
Without vigilance, where there are fish someone will always try to kill them
Check OC 2009-2011 Data
It’s been almost three years now since OC started working in the Bay of La Paz. Check all the information about trips, hours/work, action from the authorities etc.
Latest Video From "Los Islotes"
This video was shot at about 40 feet of the NW corner of Islotes on 10-23-11, where the Pargo (dog tooth snapper) have made a strong comeback over the last 3 years.
See what divers from around the world see at Los Islotes the #1 dive site in La Paz, Mexico, BCS
Photos from: Annette Patterson
Help us chronical the health of the reefs in the Sea of Cortez around La Paz (Video Log)
The reefs in the sea of Cortes have undergone dramatic devastation in the last 30 years. We are creating a video log of the various reefs over time. READ MORE…
You can contribute with our video log.
1. Upload your video on youtube or vimeo.
2. Add comments and description to it.
3. Send us the link to info@seawatch.org
4. We will post it as soon as possible
Conapesca arrests illegal "pistolero de la noche" in Bahia Los Sueños
OCs battle to stop these extremely destructive illegal fishing techniques was helped by the federal authorities arrest of the “Lluvia Esmeralda”
Warehouse found with over 13,000 illegal pepinos (sea cucumbers)
If a dry cucumber weighed 25g then, the korean seizure was about 13.040 pieces , equivalent to 326kg
Sea Watch - The year in review
Please read the December 2010 Sea Watch newsletter – The year in review. It is surprising and uplifting to see what has happened in just one year.
Pistoleros are Killing the bay
Pistoleros are killing the Bay of La Paz. About 6 years ago, while other methods of catching fish had rapidly declined night time spearfishing became the last productive method of killing large and profitable reef fish. 25 to 40 boats kill 3-5 tons of reef fish daily, that’s over 1000 TONS EACH YEAR. (Narrated in English) Read more
Mexico's First Citizen-Funded And Run Vigilance Program Starts
In 2007, Sea Watch with their attorney Maria Ugarte and armed with 1000s of emails from Sea Watch supporters, sponsored a new federal regulation to ban compressors (hookah gear) for any fish extraction in all Mexican waters.
The Vigilance Patrols from La Paz protect 120 miles of coastline and 6 lower gulf Islands for about $1500/week. They are worth your support!
Dear Friends,
There are two major problem areas that are causing the continued fisheries destruction in the Sea of Cortez.
The first concerns PELAGIC FISH and the indiscriminate use of longlines and drift gill nets. By law, sports fish, such as billfish and dorado are protected within 50 miles of the coastline, yet a new regulation (Shark Norma 029) has allowed these two destructive and indiscriminate fishing methods to move into the Sea of Cortez and to within 15 miles of the coastline. Longlines and drift gillnets now actually target these protected sports fish.
The second destructive fishery targets all REEF FISH and became the most efficient way to destroy the last of the reef fish several years ago. It utilizes hookah divers who put nets on the reef and drive fish into them doing the day and another set of divers using harpoons at night to kill sleeping reef fish (Video) Sea Watch has chosen to focus its efforts on stopping the destruction of reef fish in the Sea of Cortez by getting legislation passed banning hookah and helping develop a vigilance and enforcement arm that is overseen by the civil society.
Sincerely,
Mike McGettigan, Founder, Seawatch
Old Websites for Archival Information (pdf)
Seawatch 1st Site (1994) 5.4MB
Seawatch 2nd Site (2000) 16MB
NEWSLETTER and ALERTS
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