PANGA MOTHERSHIPS FISHING AT GONZAGA BAY

uly 17, 2004, Ethan Schaffer, Panga Motherships Fishing at Gonzaga Bay, San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico:

Here is a fish report for the Gonzaga bay area for the week of the 9th thru the 16th. We fished various spots including Gonzaga Bay and Punta Final for unusually slow fishing. The problem we would discover later, was the San felipe Motherships basically raping the bay of its fish populations. I know these words sound harsh but it is the truth. In one weeks period of time, four motherships came into the bay and made bait at night off of Alfonsinas.

The next morning there were 20 Pangas each with 3 to 4 fisherman, tied up at the point of Gonzaga bays north side, off Cactus Point, about a mile from Alfonsina's and 2 miles from Punta Willard, known to be a good fishing spot for grouper and totoaba. Having 80 lines in the water 4 days a week in one spot will not just hurt the fish populations, but will completely destroy an ecosystem that may never recover.

I want people to be aware of the damage this could cause. I think the mother ships are a great way for people to fish the sea of cortez and I understand it is a business and money must be made, if no fish are caught, then no customers will come.

However, it will be disastrous if nothing is done to stop the motherships from overfishing certain spots. My purpose in writing this is to aware people, and if anything at all can be done to change fishing methods on the mother ships then the Sea of Cortez will be abundant with life for my children to witness and enjoy someday.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from San Felipe and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for San Felipe may be found at Mexfish.com's main San Felipe page.