The Last Vaquita?

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
I used to occasionally catch a cow-nosed ray when I lived back in southern Maryland. Took forever to get them in on light tackle. Always released them, except one, which we ate. Decent white meat, but tough and chewy, like a tough lobster.

Never saw any of the carnage described in that article. Most everyone just cut the line when they hooked one so they could get back to fishing. Live and let live.
 

Landshark

Well Known Member
Maybe...time will tell. The Guardian is just reporting what scientists are saying, along with many other news reporting agencies. Hope you're right...
 

Jungle Jim

Well Known Member
Shark..................

I heard there are plans for a tall zip line tower to be built at the end of the soon to be completed Home Port pier with a cable connected to another tower at the hill at Punta San Felipe. There will be numerous net baskets connected to the cable that the US Navy Dolphins will drive the little Sea Cows into and then be zipped right over to the awaiting swimming pools at the new rescue center.

Nice plan though, I'm really pissed that Leonardo didn't go public with the stocks.

JJ
 

Landshark

Well Known Member
It does make more sense to relocate them to a safe haven with conditions as close as possible to the upper gulf. Holding them in captivity has never been successful. Returning them to the upper gulf after gill net fishing has "been eliminated" is nothing more than a pipe dream. Better add restoring the Colorado River flow to the gulf to that list which will never happen either.
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
That's great for the 9 to 5 type of enforcement. The gill netters all work from 9 to 5, too. But the opposite shift under the cover of darkness.
 

Jungle Jim

Well Known Member
Someone had some of that "veal" yesterday..........

Saw a good sized navy ship out there Friday afternoon maybe fifteen miles off of Campo Las Brisas on the Coastal Hwy south of El Golfo. Probably the Vaquita catchers. Last night on our way home we we saw at least ten shrimp trawlers in the same area as well as dozens of panagas close to shore......so much for the "protected" zone.

Just read on Newsmax that an adult Vaquita was captured by the US Navy yesterday and "died" (deliberately killed) from "stress" (fright) and the operation will most likely be halted by the Mex Gov.

Guess the zip line is historical now as not a trace of activity was evident over the weekend, cables will probably rust thru in short order. Saw quite a few lonely adult male Tarantulas crossing the highway lookin' for love.

Otherwise another great PP weekend.

JJ
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Troubling, but the point still being... Stop the illegal gill netting and the Vaquita will recover. They KNOW that is the key to it, still no cajones to do so.

I said a year ago... give me authority and three well armed center consoles and this shit would be over with.
 

jerry

Well Known Member
Hostility and Unrest in San Felipe

Report from the crews of the JOHN PAUL DEJORIA and the FARLEY MOWAT in the Sea of Cortez

The Arrest of Sunshine Rodriguez

An arrest was made for Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez Peña in Mexicali, Mexico on the afternoon of November 24. Sunshine has been associated with illegal fishing of Totoaba in the Sea of Cortez and is the leader of the fishermen’s association in San Felipe. As a part of Operation Milagro IV, a Sea Shepherd campaign charged with removing Totoaba fishing nets in defense of the Vaquita Porpoise, our vessels M/V Farley Mowat and M/V John Paul DeJoria are currently anchored in the harbor of San Felipe.

The Federal Attorney of Mexico (PGR) has not yet released any details as to Sunshine’s detainment. He has been under investigation with charges related to the drug cartel and Totoaba poachers for a long time. According to local fishermen, Sunshine was driving with his family when he was pulled over for neglecting to have a license plate on his vehicle. They searched the vehicle and found 1 kg of methamphetamine. Sunshine and his wife were then arrested by the PGR before being flown to Mexico City for further investigation. The people of San Felipe believe that those who arrested Sunshine also planted the drugs into his vehicle.

In solidarity with Sunshine, and to demand the release of their leader, the fishing community decided to protest his arrest and block the road entrance to San Felipe. A Federal Inspector with the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (CONAPESCA) was trying to avoid the roadblock when he evacuated his vehicle and escaped the scene. His car, as photographed here, was set on fire by protesters. In hopes of adding more pressure to the Mexican government, protesters are proceeding to Mexicali to rally outside of the airport and the Federal Attorney’s office.

Sunshine often speaks up against Sea Shepherd. We are considered the reason that the fishing industry has crashed in San Felipe. And when people boycotted shrimp in 2016, he blamed Sea Shepherd even though we had no involvement.

Because of these accusations, our crew in San Felipe is unsafe and under threat. At the start of 2017 during Milagro III, Sunshine wrote Sea Shepherd on a panga between PROFEPA and CONAPESCA and set it on fire, threatening that he would burn Sea Shepherd vessels. He has frequently threatened our volunteers. Still, we are not going anywhere. We are here to stay as we all feel very strongly that the Vaquitas are more important to us than anything else.

We will keep you updated as the story progresses.

Photo: The angry fishermen destroyed this truck owned by the National Commission of Agriculture and Fisheries
 

Estero

Well Known Member
I was coming in last night from San Luis and it sure looked like 3-4 boats off in the distance trawling in the ecological zone just a little bit South of El Golfo which would put them in the off limits zone.
 
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