TWO LA PAZ NAVY BOATS TO AID FISHERIES ENFORCEMENT

Nov. 28, 2004, Bob Grimes, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico Fisheries Regulation Enforcement Report:

Two new high speed boats are being added to the Mexican Navy base in La Paz, Baja California Sur, supposedly to combat drug smuggling and illegal fishing. This is good news, as the navy boats occasionally detain a commercial boat which is committing a particularly flagrant violation of mexican law, as occurred with the detention in June of last year of the longliner from Michoacan which had permits to catch tuna with lures, but was longlining sharks and marlin at the Gordo Banks.

The navy boats also release whales caught in gill nets, if they get to them while they are still alive.

Unfortunately, there are still many commercial longliners and drift gill netters from ports such as Ensenada who are continuing to illegally take tons of dorado, marlin, and other sportfishing species in Baja California Sur.

Last week, shrimp boats continued to drag the bottom close to shore in the area east of San Jose del Cabo, where the bottom fishing species such as huachinango and cabrilla have already been decimated.

Meanwhile, the association of hotel owners of Los Cabos has budgeted 5 million dollars for next year. Among the attractions of Los Cabos that this 5 million dollars will be advertising is the great sportfishing. Revenues continue to be collected from tourist sportfishing licenses, purportedly to be used to combat illegal fishing. It is likely that the primary focus of Mexican officials will be to check gringo fishermen for their Mexican fishing licenses, so the Americans who have fished in San Jose Del Cabo for years without getting licenses would be well advised to get them.

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