Jungle Jim
Guest
SEA OF DEATH
Big time shark finning operation in plain sight, Puerto Penasco, 29 Oct 2015...........
Ran out of the harbor Saturday just before noon, sea glassy flat, sea temp 82*, air temp 92*, two trawlers anchored just out of the harbor entrance, put down two deep divers and made six close runs alongside of the larger one. Noticed over 100 Frigate Birds in his overhead rigging, first time ever seeing this, usually just Boobies, Cormorants and Brown Pelicans. The big blue trawler, maybe an 80 footer was out of Guymas. It had six pangas tied up along side that were passing plastic crates up to the deck hands, we figured they were small time shrimpers letting the big guys do the pay up and paper work.
We didn't get a hit probably due to the huge amount of bloated bycatch floating all around, figured the Yellowtail were already pigged out. Made a fast run to the reef off of Pelican Point and put out a marker buoy at its end in 40' of water at slack tide about a mile and a half West of the light house.
Did our first run with two deep divers without a hit so continued East along La Cholla just past the last house and hooked up a nice 5lb. Baya Grouper. As I was reeling him in something big and dark surfaced close behind him. Looked like a big bull California Sea Lion so I doubled down on my reel-in. The beast came up a second time and I could plainly see a four foot plus Baya swallow my little guy. This was on 20lb. mono with a small bait runner reel. Got them up close to the boat and the big guy just spit out the little guy. I hauled him in and we gunned my Yammies to go back and maybe get another chance at the big boy. Right then my right side Yammie took a dump and refused to start back up. Well thanks be to Allah I'm outfitted with twins. Day now over after only about an hour at sea the only plan left was to limp back home.
As we were putting along three pangas passed alongside at high speed. I could see that they were long liners with a mile or more of heavy mono with big hooks wrapped up on big plywood panels on their decks. They came up close to check out my sick Yammie tilted up and out of the water. We waved em off and they went on their way, funny thing them coming out of the protected area.
We got back and as we were closing in on the harbor I decided to put out a deep diver again and run up alongside the blue trawler. Now those hundred plus Frigate Birds were in flight in a swarm around the three pangas that had just passed us. The frigates were picking up stuff off the surface in a feeding frenzy. That is when we saw why, the pangeros were finning small sharks. Most were Shovel Nosed Sharks, a few big rays and some four foot brownish colored sharks that looked like Bulls. A few quick slices and the animals went over the side. The fins were going into plastic crates and being passed up to the deck hands on the trawler.
The whole operation is just a criminal enterprise set up in plain view of the Mexican Navy and anyone else who happens to pass by. Long liners in the protected area killing sharks and rays just for their fins and just dumping them right in the mouth of the port!
Turns out my Yammie got sick from the 50 gallons of gas that I put in my fuel tank Friday morning from my local Shell station. Both fuel/water separators we contaminated with water, lucky I made it back at all.
We did have delicious Baya fillets breaded and fried in Coconut oil for dinner that night. Anyone out off of Pelican Point that spots my marker buoy, a four foot orange pool noodle, will you please reel it in and hold it for me?
The rest of the weekend we spent Jeepin. We did the beach run along Bahia San Jorge, saw a lot of new dead Ridley Sea Turtles and a huge Fin Whale that had recently washed up. We found a dead Grey Fox and a dead Badger near the whale that looked like they had been torn up and killed by the mob Coyotes that had taken control of the carcass.
We did see the activity related to the Whale Shark spotted near the "Jetty To Nowhere" on Sandy Beach.
Tighter Lines and Bloodier Decks.......................
JJ
JJ
Big time shark finning operation in plain sight, Puerto Penasco, 29 Oct 2015...........
Ran out of the harbor Saturday just before noon, sea glassy flat, sea temp 82*, air temp 92*, two trawlers anchored just out of the harbor entrance, put down two deep divers and made six close runs alongside of the larger one. Noticed over 100 Frigate Birds in his overhead rigging, first time ever seeing this, usually just Boobies, Cormorants and Brown Pelicans. The big blue trawler, maybe an 80 footer was out of Guymas. It had six pangas tied up along side that were passing plastic crates up to the deck hands, we figured they were small time shrimpers letting the big guys do the pay up and paper work.
We didn't get a hit probably due to the huge amount of bloated bycatch floating all around, figured the Yellowtail were already pigged out. Made a fast run to the reef off of Pelican Point and put out a marker buoy at its end in 40' of water at slack tide about a mile and a half West of the light house.
Did our first run with two deep divers without a hit so continued East along La Cholla just past the last house and hooked up a nice 5lb. Baya Grouper. As I was reeling him in something big and dark surfaced close behind him. Looked like a big bull California Sea Lion so I doubled down on my reel-in. The beast came up a second time and I could plainly see a four foot plus Baya swallow my little guy. This was on 20lb. mono with a small bait runner reel. Got them up close to the boat and the big guy just spit out the little guy. I hauled him in and we gunned my Yammies to go back and maybe get another chance at the big boy. Right then my right side Yammie took a dump and refused to start back up. Well thanks be to Allah I'm outfitted with twins. Day now over after only about an hour at sea the only plan left was to limp back home.
As we were putting along three pangas passed alongside at high speed. I could see that they were long liners with a mile or more of heavy mono with big hooks wrapped up on big plywood panels on their decks. They came up close to check out my sick Yammie tilted up and out of the water. We waved em off and they went on their way, funny thing them coming out of the protected area.
We got back and as we were closing in on the harbor I decided to put out a deep diver again and run up alongside the blue trawler. Now those hundred plus Frigate Birds were in flight in a swarm around the three pangas that had just passed us. The frigates were picking up stuff off the surface in a feeding frenzy. That is when we saw why, the pangeros were finning small sharks. Most were Shovel Nosed Sharks, a few big rays and some four foot brownish colored sharks that looked like Bulls. A few quick slices and the animals went over the side. The fins were going into plastic crates and being passed up to the deck hands on the trawler.
The whole operation is just a criminal enterprise set up in plain view of the Mexican Navy and anyone else who happens to pass by. Long liners in the protected area killing sharks and rays just for their fins and just dumping them right in the mouth of the port!
Turns out my Yammie got sick from the 50 gallons of gas that I put in my fuel tank Friday morning from my local Shell station. Both fuel/water separators we contaminated with water, lucky I made it back at all.
We did have delicious Baya fillets breaded and fried in Coconut oil for dinner that night. Anyone out off of Pelican Point that spots my marker buoy, a four foot orange pool noodle, will you please reel it in and hold it for me?
The rest of the weekend we spent Jeepin. We did the beach run along Bahia San Jorge, saw a lot of new dead Ridley Sea Turtles and a huge Fin Whale that had recently washed up. We found a dead Grey Fox and a dead Badger near the whale that looked like they had been torn up and killed by the mob Coyotes that had taken control of the carcass.
We did see the activity related to the Whale Shark spotted near the "Jetty To Nowhere" on Sandy Beach.
Tighter Lines and Bloodier Decks.......................
JJ
JJ
