Mexico's Revillagigedo Islands under threat!!

[chouliha]

For those members that have spent any time out at Socorro or San Benedicto islands 250 Miles SW of Cabo the experience will remain with you for the rest of your life. We spent a total of 2 1/2 months in the islands over a period of a couple years and it was the highlight of 6 years cruising in Western Mexico.

Now these islands are in danger again. Please spread the word your signature is needed.

Thanks

Chuck
Jacaranda

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Over the past several months, repeated violations of the Biosphere Reserve around the Revillagigedo Islands have left many animals with lines attached, many nets on the rocks we hold dear, many helicopters surveying for tuna schools and navy patrol boats. Shark finning is being conducted here!!!!! Big business behind it is running ads on Mexican television that are full of lies. The archipelago is a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site, and now this...

Here is a petition to the President of Mexico urging him to provide the necessary resources for patrolling the area before the fragile biosphere is in peril:

http://www.change.org/ petitions/protección-efectiva- urgente-y-permanente-para-la- reserva-de-la-biosfera- archipiélago-de-revillagigedo

On our Facebook page are videos of some of these atrocities, along with examples of other countries' means of dealing with similar issues, which you may want to mention in signing the petition. Please share the petition as far and wide as you can, and watch our Facebook page for updates.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Karey --

Pacific Manta Research Group
Robert Rubin, Director - 707 527-4203 , 707 875-2071
Karey Kumli, Project Manager - 707 483-5007
UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory
PO Box 247 - 2099 Westside Rd.
Bodega Bay CA 94923
Manta.birostris1@gmail.com
http:// pacificmantaresearchgroup.shutterfly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ PacificMantaResearchGroup
http://www.mantatrust.org/in- the-field/mexico/

[rognvald]

Chuck and Karey,
Thanks for the information concerning the devastation in these unique islands. Unfortunately, human beings are not born with ethics--only self interest. This situation will likely continue since it is unlikely the Mexican government will intervene. We are witnessing the destruction of our planet as we continue our descent into the abyss. I will gladly sign the petition.

[rognvald]

Could not find the petition from Change.org. Any suggestions?

[MARC D]

Where are the war ships when we need them?

[Cheechako]

I couldnt find the petition either. It can be started by anyone though.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by MARC D

Where are the war ships when we need them?

The pangeros (local fishermen) have a lot of pull. They're easily one of the more powerful voting and political blocks in coastal Mexico.

[Cheechako]

There's a very interesting article in theis month's Cruising World about a couple headed west to the So Pac about 35 miles off mexico (if I remember right, might be further south) They run into a net in the dark. Then end up with a panga with two fisherman along side. Eventually they get free but then realize they are surrounded by nets and Pangas... all using illegal drift nets. No lights, open boats... a light bulb on a wire attached to the boat battery in the bilge that only comes on (by one fisherman holding a wire on the battery post) if you are getting very near them.

[JPA Cate]

Chuck,

If you check back here, please see if you can post a link that works. I will gladly sign the petition, if I can find it!

Thanks,

Ann

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

There's a very interesting article in theis month's Cruising World about a couple headed west to the So Pac about 35 miles off mexico (if I remember right, might be further south) They run into a net in the dark. Then end up with a panga with two fisherman along side. Eventually they get free but then realize they are surrounded by nets and Pangas... all using illegal drift nets. No lights, open boats... a light bulb on a wire attached to the boat battery in the bilge that only comes on (by one fisherman holding a wire on the battery post) if you are getting very near them.

I'm not sure of the illegality of various netting types in Mexico. I met a guy at a party in La Paz who works in the fisheries as an ecology engineer. PhD guy, very nice. He listed out a couple of things that were news to me:

- Bottom trawling, drift netting, and other techniques regarded as illegal and destructive are generally legal as each country has jurisdiction over its own waters (out to ~200nm).

- He told me that in some areas, like the northern Sea of Cortez, regulated bottom trawling doesn't seem to have any ecological impacts that they can identify. In other areas where there are impacts, it's not allowed. I think that's how a lot of people get confused about what's illegal and what isn't, at least in Mexico, because what's okay in one place might be regulated in another and completely illegal in yet another.

- It's not illegal for fishermen to carry illegal fishing apparatuses, it's only illegal to deploy them. In the case of illegal long lining, very few of the pangas are sitting around waiting by their floats and they're not dumb enough to haul them up with a warship nearby. Nor is a warship going to decimate some guy's gear and his haul by yanking them up, which may in fact be legal.

- Fishermen in Mexico, especially in Baja and along the productive coastlines, have a lot of political pull. It's also recognized as the only way that families can really feed and support themselves. I'm not defending shark finning by any stretch of the imagination but if you want to solve it you need to address the core issues of poverty first.

Wherever poor people are found with mouths to feed, the less that morality and ecological impacts weigh into their decisions. It's not that crazy to imagine that plenty of people are faced with working for cartels, going hungry, or fishing beyond the law to make ends meet. If those were your options, what would you choose?

[zeehag]

fishermen here have pull because most of them are members of the cooperativas which are government sponsored. one is not able to make a living as an independent in mexico in fishing industry.
gringos and turistas with fishing licenses are not allowed to fish with nets or other means legal only to locals due to protection of the industry.
read your fishing license well, as it has the regulations written on it.

yes they do check.

[chouliha]

My apologies. The link for the signature was correct but when I copied the email into this forum only a portion of the link was hypertext.

Sorry I am not sure how to show it as a link. But you can cut and paste it into your browser

http://www.change.org/petitions/prot...revillagigedo?

Thanks Ann for the heads up

Chuck
Jacaranda
Ecuador