Jungle Jim
Guest
Aaaaa Soooooooooo.........
I was picturing a really big shark hook piercing your gut.
JJ
I was picturing a really big shark hook piercing your gut.
JJ
What have YOU done Gringo-Rio?
The reference to my "visit" should be something others consider.Also people brave enough to join the Sea Shepherds need to keep in mind these fishermen are controlled by cartel....they need those pangas out there at a minimum to cover the smuggling of dope to baja....Watch yourself...but hey living as a sheep is overrated...time to fight...Much truth to what JJ says. As a gringo, there is little I can do to fight the cartel and cooperativas on the high seas. I have delivered the message here, running this site for 2o years now. I have seen the carnage and it disgusts me. But... I don't want to end up with a "friendly" visit in Mexico by some that know who I am. Right, Jerry?
The fact remains that if I feel I have recourse, I take action. More than once, I've cut turtles off illegal long lines in San Carlos. They fucking KNOW taking turtles is illegal, as well as their long line. They challenged me and we immediately start taking pictures. More than once, I've nosed my cat up to the edge of their shitty panga and started revving the motors. They are a long way out from shore and I'd have no hesitation putting both sponsons square up on that bitch and sinking it. They have always hauled ass because A) they know they're wrong and B) they know I'm a crazy fucking gringo that will take them out.
A single turtle is a hell of a payday for them on the black market. Google it, read about the illegal turtle trade in Guaymas. Watch the videos. They are there.
The Mexicans are their own worst enemies. A few dollars slipped into the right pocket makes it all okay. The Vaquita is a sad victim of this same fuckery and now that they can run gill nets again, you can kiss those sad, crying baby dolphins good-bye.
The fact that everything I've said here is true makes it even more tragic.
That always seems to be the question, doesn't it?And again, if this is such an issue where is the Mexican law enforcement and military?
JJ
That big marine filled boat you see around bird island is pretty gunned up too....the narcos still somehow arrange to nett blues out of season...So true Stu..........
I'd be willing to bet that all they would have to do is just bring one to San Felipe, one to El Golfo and one to PP on a trailer, the immediate VHF traffic would be astronomical within minutes and all pangas would return to base within hours.
Problem solved. If any were found out there in defiance, a few short bursts from those M60's at the pangas waterline followed by an immediate deep 6 would stop it forever, until of course, the gunboat crew gets their cut as to be expected.
JJ
Without prejudice or racism, this seems to be a Mexican "thing." Not just with the vaquita, but with all sorts of things. I mean, if you've read up on the fuel thefts and situation in Puebla recently, the locals actually support them stealing from PEMEX. Cover for them, write songs about them, much like the narco ballads. They government seized six tanker trucks that were stealing fuel and the thieves stole them right back from the government! Amazing. Kind of the same with gillnets. Even though they are indiscriminate killers, the locals support their use. It will never change. On a good day, we can land more quality fish with hook and line than they can with a gill net. But it isn't about quality fish it's about the totuaba bladders right now, at least north of Penasco.Had a strange conversation in Puerto Lobos this past weekend. A school principal from Mexicali told me a lot of the locals over there don't believe the vaquita actually exists. Local fishermen say they've never seen a vaquita. They think it's a hoax designed to drive out the fishermen, possibly to make way for offshore oil drilling in the northern SOC. Despite being well-educated, this guy seemed to be buying into this conspiracy theory.
To be honest, I was a little skeptical myself when I first heard of the endangered vaquita since I've known environmentalists to pull stunts like the Yuma puma and the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. (The game is to seek endangered species status for an animal exhibiting some local variations and try to get special rules and restrictions.) But subsequent research convinced me the animal is real.
I find it pretty disturbing that this rumor has gained some acceptance. Vaquita advocates, both government and non-profit, need to address it if there's any hope of defeating public opposition to the gill net ban. Maybe one of those captured vaquitas should be displayed in a tank along with a young bottlenose so people can see the difference.
And obviously some of the local fishermen are lying.