Why SeaWatch Helped Found and Support OC

The reason SeaWatch and others founded “OC” Observatorio Ciudadano in 2009 and has supported it since is that SeaWatch believes that the major problem with fisheries management in Mexico is the lack of a clear legal framework and virtually no vigilance or enforcement. As a result any attempts to protect fish stocks through MPA’s and Marine Reserves ends up providing the illegal fishermen (pistoleros and encerradores) with their own private and protected fishing grounds and forces the honest local fishermen to use these illegal and destructive methods just to compete. Axiom for sustainable fisheries is: Fisheries can only recover if there are clear regulations designed to stop predatory fishing practices, there is vigilance and the laws are enforced evenly and thus a respect for them is developed within the public and fishing communities. This is the first and most critical step to managing fisheries for sustainability. It must come first. It is the reasoning behind OC and proved itself in the first year of OC operations. 80% of the illegal fishermen were stopped saving between 500 and 700 tons of reef fish between the Loreto Marine Park and Isla Cerralvo Island. 2010 Annual Report for OC 2010 OC Annual Report Update: In the last two years the authorities have refused to act on denuncias (legal complaints) filed by OC the illegal pictilero’s have become more emboldened. 3-4 of the original 28 boata are back fishing illegally again. What must happen is that we get the public and legal peer fishermen get involved and demand that the officials do their job. That is very slow to happen and SeaWatch has been spending more time informing and involving the public.

June 20, 2015

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What's New at SeaWatch

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SeaWatch Annual Holiday Raffle

This year's annual holiday raffle in support of our SeaWatch projects featured this beautiful, limited edition bronze sculpture, called Making Waves, donated by Scott Hanson.

This is one of Scott's most popular sculptures and and sold in major galleries for $7200.00. Read More...

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Espiritu Santo es parte de ti
2019-2020

Espíritu Santo es parte de ti (Espiritu Santo is dart of you) is a grassroots campaign working to raise public awareness and advocacy, promote community pride and best practices and eradicate illegal fishing in Espiritu Santo National Park, in particular parrotfish, a reef grazing species that is critical to the maintenance of healthy reefs. Vibrant, healthy reefs cannot survive without grazers Read More...

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Espiritu Santo es parte de ti -March 2020

March has been a month that took us all by surprise! We started with all the energy, planning our annual fundraising event. Suddenly the world turned upside down. In these scary and wild times, we wonder how long will this last? All this definitely made us reorder our priorities and focus on the things that matter the most Read More...

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SeaWatch Year End Raffle

The lucky winner is Gordon Harris! Scott Hanson donated his popular “Winter Song” sculpture to SeaWatch for our year-end raffle. This beautiful sculpture was raffled in January. We thank you for your support of the raffle and look forward to your support and the success of future raffles. Money raised helped SeaWatch fund the organizations vital to the recovery of the Sea of Cortez. Watch the video of Scott Hanson here...

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Espiritu Santo es parte de ti
Featured in Conservation Watch Magazine

Conservation Watch Magazine Is published by the Garden Club of America's conservation committee members. It's a quarterly online newsletter featuring conservation and environmental news. SeaWatch is proud of the campaign we originated and support Espiritu Santo es parte de ti (Espiritu Santo is part of you) and their feature article in this magazine. Read the article...

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Gillnetting Protected Mobula Rays
See This Recent Video and Act Today

The Mobula Rays are a joy to watch as these expert acrobats jump, twirl and belly flop through the sea. The Sea of Cortez is the world's premium destination for viewing the largest schools in the world, sometimes exceeding 10,000 individuals. They are seasonal visitors and visit Baja in May-July and November - January. These rays are protected by Mexican Law Read More...

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