That's My Story

YOU’RE GOING TO FEEL A LITTLE PRESSURE

Originally published in Western Outdoor News the week of May 21, 2007

PHOTO 1: Protestors lining up outside the Mar de Cortez Hotel in Cabo San Lucas. The city is riled and angry over the passing of the new fishing legislation that adversaries say will virtually wipe out sportfishing in the Sea of Cortez and is funded by commercial fishing interests in the mainland who have Mexican politicians in their back pockets. Later almost 150 sportfishing boats would line up outside the marina in protest and one boat was burned. More protests are planned.

PHOTO 2: Dead marlin symbolically laid into a coffin and tied to the roof of one business. Residents of Cabo San Lucas have taken to tying and wearing black ribbons and arm-bands in solidarity. Locals are vowing “not to go quietly” on this matter. One local official said that he is hoping violence can be averted as both the PAN and PRI political parties have joined the fray against the new regulations, something rarely seen where BOTH opposing parties actually agree on something.

PHOTO 3 : On the roof, protestors laid banners and other symbols of protest and the office of Fishing and Agriculure was duct taped closed by protestors symbolizing how the government has not raised a voice over this heated issue.

THE STORY

“You might feel a little pressure.” Famous last words of the doctor before he sticks it to you one way or the other and you know darn well, he’s a lying rat bastard. It’s gonna hurt like hell.

Well…guess what? You’re gonna feel a little pressure yup…it’s also going to sting…A LOT!

If you ever wanted to pick a fight to jump in on, this might be it, amigos. Y’know, I usually try to keep it light and easy here on this column. I have an abhorrence for politics and politicians after years of working as a reporter and later an attorney, but sometimes you gotta amp it up.

I will not be surprised if there are repercussions for writing this column this week, but what the heck. Maybe, it won’t matter anymore! When I asked some of my associates to comment, some declined because of retribution by certain “interests.”

I know a lot of you don’t know that I have my own fishing fleet operation here in La Paz and generally, I try not to tout it and keep it separate from this column to hang onto some semblance of credibility with you. This isn’t a space to self-promote, but I think in 3 years of writing this column I hopefully have a bit of cred with the readers.

Get ready because Baja fishing as you know it and love it just changed. Be afraid. Be very afraid. With a sweep of the pen, sportfishermen, tour operators, hotel owners, restaurants…so many hard working people who rely on the sporfishing industry and what it has meant to the Baja just got rubber-gloved, to put it lightly. And that is not a cough that you hear.

Just last week, on May 15th, new Mexican legislation named NOM-029 went into effect. It slid right in and can’t say we weren’t warned. I hate talking politics. I’m just the fishing guy. But, after two Mexican presidential administrations shot down the idea, the new administration under President Calderon didn’t waste time.

See if you can follow the reasoning here and why people are more than upset south of the border down here.

I am not a tree hugger. However, under the guise of “ ecological well-being” to “protect the sharks,” the Mexican government will no longer issue any more permits to take sharks under NOM-029. Yay! Huzzah! Bravo! High five!

But, as they say in the info-mercials before sticking you…BUT WAIT!

No new permits? Whoop-dee-freaking-doo! There are already more than 4000 boats that can use their existing permits! More than 300 permits have been issued to boats larger than ’89 feet. More than 200 permits to boats less than 89 feet. More than 600 to pangas with up to 6 pangas able to work off a single permit. Ever gotten into a dorado bite and seen how many “incidental” dorado you can catch in an hour? Using current methods, that’s about 1.5 million additional hooks in the water every day.

And, here comes the gaff…there’s no restriction on “incidental catches.” Supposedly while fishing for shark, its (by the way) no big deal if marlin, dorado or other “incidentals” are caught. Hooks laid out for miles along the ocean sure don’t discriminate. No bag limits. No daily totals. Sportfish can be caught and sold just like any other fish. And they can catch all they want because it’s “incidental.” On top of it, the new law permits the commercial boats to come within the 50 mile limit. Hell, I’ve seen tons of these boats 50 feet from shore fishing ILLEGALLY. Guess what happens now that it’s LEGAL to do it?

Oh, and guess who’s supporting this? Commercial interests in Ensenada, Sinoloa, Sonora and even some U.S. interests. Are we surprised?

And it’s making some strange bedfellows and pissing off a lot of people.

This past week, almost 150 sportfishing boats in Cabo San Lucas gathered in protest. I mean, half these fleets often don’t even talk to each other in this highly competitive market place. And…they burned boat. Yup. Fried it and sank it right there at the arches in protest to make sure EVERYONE saw it and knew what was up. That’s about the largest concentration of boats short of D-Day or the Bisbees Tournament. Might as well forget the Bisbees now. Heck, might as well forget the jackpot trip you, Joe, Marty and Dennis have every year on the Gordo Banks. Ain’t no more fish, Bucky!

The morning the law went into effect, one source said that as many as 70 commercial Mexican boats were lined up ready to steam up the Sea of Cortez to start their “harvest.” As you read this, unless there has been an unlikely moratorium, they are already stacking their catch boxes.

How has the government responded? Is that the sound of one-hand clapping? They have said absolutely nothing!

Protestors even went to the office of the Secretary of Agriculture and Fishing and taped it shut in a symbolic act regarding how local government authorities have been strangely silent about all this. Folks, they’re vowing to take it to the streets and not go quietly.

Greenpeace originally backed NOM -029 as might be expected since the law purports to “save the sharks.” But now, Greenpeace is back-peddling in a wave of controversy already heaped upon them by their protests against the new marina in San Jose del Cabo. Greenpeace is now saying it was mislead in the facts they were given and interestingly now finds itself actually somewhat aligning itself with the sportfishing industry with whom they are often at odds.

As if to underscore how much fishing directly and indirectly contributes to the Baja economy, a 200 million dollar development project on the East Cape(that’s another can ‘o worms for me, but I applaud the brass nuggets) was canned this week by investors after the new laws went into effect. It would have included hotels, golf courses and a marina. There was a lot more than 200 million dollars that just went by the wayside in terms of jobs, tax revenue, etc.

If you’d like to see the full run-down on this whole mess, click this: http://www.seawatch.org/mail_campaign/norma_press_release.pdf and get the scoop. Minerva, from the Minerva’s Tackle Store whom many of you know, has been spearheading a lot of this and is the contact point. Also, if you’re ticked off enough and want to try to make a difference, Sea Watch has put together an incredible webpage whereby you can customize your own angry letter to every single agency or public official that matters. http://www.seawatch.org/mail_campaign/norma_letter.php is the link. Fire this to every single person you can as fast as you can.

As you’re reading this, they’re already fishing YOUR vacation fish as well as your kids’ fish too. Anyone wanna hire a short brown funny looking column writer and former fishing fleet operator? Resume and references upon request. I wish we could dial up more fish as easy. Once gone, they’re gone.

AFTERWARD: The day after I wrote this story, I was out on the water off Cerralvo Island, a commercial boat with a spotter plane was already setting up lines and nets off the island ready to start harvesting. Additionally, another commercial line boat was reported 5 miles off Los Barriles on the East Cape.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.