600 kg of Illegally Caught Fish Seized
Espiritu Santo Archipelago. The most beautiful
islands in the Sea of Cortez. This group of
islands is the primary reason tourists visit La Paz.
ROC patrol with NAVY and PROFEPA personnel
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.
A main attraction of Espiritu
Santo is diving and snorkeling
with the sea lions and other
marine life. These industries
rely on a healthy ecosystem.
The lucrative ecotourism and scuba diving industries, which contribute substantially to the economic health of the city, rely heavily on a healthy ecosystem to secure the future of the industries and the jobs within them.
Although the Mexican government has designated three of the most important areas around the islands as no-take nuclear zones and also prohibited the use of compressed air for fish extraction, bandit fishermen have been entering these no-take areas just before sundown and, using illegal fishing techniques, they have depleted the abundance of keystone reef fish species which in turn is severely compromising the health of this socially and commercially important ecosystem.
ROC , a community funded and directed vigilance initiative, was established in 2009 with financial assistance from SeaWatch. New agreements with government agencies, PROFEPA, CONANP and CONAPESCA, to patrol with ROC have established regular patrols at Espiritu Santo from sundown and throughout the night.
One of ROC’s patrol boats. It was recently repainted in dark blue making it almost invisible in the darkness.
It is very difficult for the illegal boats to see them approaching.
These patrols with officials on board means immediate action taken against anyone fishing illegally in the waters around La Paz and the Espiritu Santo Archipelago.
Some of the illegal catch seized by ROC and CONAPESCA which includes parrotfish that are vitally important to the health of the reef. T
his practice is not sustainable. If it is not stopped soon, the reefs around the islands will be gone.
A crude HOOKAH system which consists of an air
compressor with hoses & scuba-type second stage
regulators. A unit like this allows up to three
divers to easily catch the sleeping reef fish.
On October 10, 2016 a joint operation between ROC and CONAPESCA was successful at tracing down an illegal fishing operation following seven weeks of intensive intelligence work including numerous surveillance patrols around Espiritu Santo.
The panga when detained was found to be carrying 600 kilograms of different reef fish species illegally caught using a HOOKAH rig (portable compressor with air pipes and scuba-type second stage regulators attached). This type of fishing is highly illegal and destructive to the reef, reef fish and general health of the marine environment. Fish are simply killed with a modified Hawaiian sling while they sleep.
An illegal operation like this has the potential of extracting 1000 kilograms plus of reef fish in a single night, leaving an area of reef devoid of fish.
The boat, which was a 22 feet panga (open boat), along with the fishing gear and illegally caught product, were immediately seized and impounded by CONAPESCA. It was still impounded as of 2/12/17
The following video from 2006 shows the destructive and illegal hookah fishing at night.
February 25, 2017
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Espiritu Santo es parte de ti
2019-2020
Espiritu Santo es parte de ti -March 2020
SeaWatch Year End Raffle
Espiritu Santo es parte de ti
Featured in Conservation Watch Magazine
Gillnetting Protected Mobula Rays
See This Recent Video and Act Today
Find SeaWatch On Facebook and You Tube
How You Can Help Save the Sea of Cortez
Consume Responsibly
Abstain from eating all fish that protect the health of the reefs including parrotfish and surgeon fish
Report Illegal Activities
Be our "Eyes on the Water" take photos, record positions, and send reports to the authorities
Donate
Your donations contribute to the work of Espiritu Santo es parte de ti and the efforts of ROC