2017 Articles & Videos

We invite you to browse through these articles and videos. Some local and some worldwide, some written by SeaWatch and some reprinted and reposted from online and magazines. These articles and videos show the success of SeaWatch, the changes in the Sea of Cortez and the world's oceans.

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SeaWatch Article in bdoutdoors.com

This is an excellent article "A Glimmer of Hope - Baja Reef Conservation" published in bdoutdoors.com on our involvement in the creation of an artificial reef off Espiritu Santo and our efforts towards the recovery of the fish populations in the Sea of Cortez.

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PROFEPA Imposes Fines on Two Vessels

ROC is now out on daily vigilance patrols with Profepa inspectors aboard. The following article is from a December 15, 2017 PROFEPA press release. - The Federal Office of Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) fined two vessels caught in the whale shark area without authorization. The first vessel was fined more than 50 thousand pesos and the second more than 30 thousand pesos for violating the Whale Shark Management Plan. Read More...

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New SeaWatch Video

This recent video shows takes the SeaWatch story through the past 10 years. It shows our efforts to stop the illegal fishing that killed the majority of the reef fish in the Sea of Cortez. The video explains the formation of ROC and Espiritu Santo es parte de ti campaigns and their important roles in the reef recovery. See it here...

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SeaWatch Interview with Edgardo Ochoa

Marine biologist and leader of Conservation Internationals’ global dive program, Marine biologist, Edgardo Ochoa, talks about his extensive experience working in the field of marine conservation and how we can help as individuals to reverse some of the damage done to the ocean ecosystems. In 1989, Edargo began his studies in marine biology at the Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR) – (translates to Centre of Interdisciplinary Marine Sciences) here in La Paz. Read More...

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Mc-Fisher Restaurant Takes the Pledge

Yet another La Paz restaurant takes the pledge not to serve parrotfish. The Mc-Fisher Restaurant, located on Calle José María Morelos y Pavón in downtown La Paz, has recently joined 13 other restaurants in a pledge not to serve parrotfish on their menus. Community initiative, Espiritu Santo es Parte de Ti, has been working tirelessly to help raise awareness about the urgent need for the La Paz community to consider not eating parrotfish Read More...

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Eyes on the Water

A citizen observer witnessed fisherman illegally gillnetting inshore reefs and throwing harpoons at threatened mobula rays at Isla Espiritu Santo, La Paz, BCS, Mexico. Since 2009, a ban on the netting of inshore reefs that have coral on them was approved by “El Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales” (SEMARNAT) – (translates to “The Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources”). Five years later, the new law was officially published by Read More...

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Why Restaurants are Taking the Pledge

A community initiative to bring an end to the demand for parrotfish for human consumption has been targeting restaurants in and around La Paz to take the pledge not to offer these ecologically important species on their menus. Parrotfishes are a group of 90+ species that make up the family, Scaridae. These fish get their name from their teeth which are tightly packed together forming a parrot-like beak which they use Read More...

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No Parrotfish at Las Tres Virgines

Las Tres Virgines in La Paz, BCS, Mexico becomes the eleventh restaurant, of an initial target of thirty, to pledge not to buy or sell parrotfish. They join Nim, Barcaccia, Sushi Odayaka, Sorstis, Mc Fisher, El Anzuelo, Mr. Fish, Stella, La Gaviota and Jiro Sushi in a public awareness campaign directed by Lucia Corral and her team at Espiritu Santo es Parte De Ti, a community run project in La Paz Read More...

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600 kg of Illegally Caught Fish Seized

Following seven weeks of intensive intelligence work, community vigilance unit, ROC, help seize 600 kilograms of illegally caught fish during nocturnal operation at Isla Espiritu Santo. The Espiritu Santo Archipelago off the coast of La Paz, BCS, Mexico, has been under attack from illegal fishing by Pistoleros and Encerradores for the last 25 years, contributing to the rapid decline of its reefs and fish stocks Read More...

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Luke Inman on the Importance of Espiritu Santo

“Espiritu Santo Island is probably the most important resource for the City of La Paz” Award Winning Filmmaker, Photographer, Writer and dive operator, Luke Inman Talks About the Importance of Isla Espiritu Santo to the City of La Paz, Mexico. Luke Inman is the owner of the responsible diving operation, Cortez Expeditions Read More...

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Howard Hall Visits Sea of Cortez

World renowned marine cinematographer, Howard Hall of Howard Hall Productions returned to the Gulf of California / Sea of Cortez, 25 years after filming BBC and PBS documentary ‘Shadows in a Desert Sea’. During the 21 day trip, Howard found that locations that were once world class dive sites were now devoid of much of the marine life that once flourished... the schools of hammerhead sharks that once graced El Bajo sea mount were no where to be seen Read More...

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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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