Angling to Save Sharks in the Sea of Cortez

Island. Maybe a twenty-minute boat ride and you are in Yellowfin heaven. Chavo knows all the spots, where to find Roosterfish, Dorado, even Blue and Black Marlin.

“With the increasing number of Americans visiting Mexico there is a growing need to provide services, and sport fishing is one of the most popular. The idea is to eventually have these fishermen, who currently survive off small-scale commercial shark and ray fishing, run their own sport-fishing operations,” said Jorge Ramirez. Jorge is a marine biologist from IEMANYA, working with the fishermen in several communities in the southern part of the Baja peninsula. “These local fishermen know the sea around here better than anybody, they practically live in it,” said Jorge. “What we are doing is helping them with business training, English classes and marketing to help them make the move away from shark fishing to a more sustainable type of fishing. We encourage sport fishing with it's clearly stated regulations as well as catch and release fishing.”
 

these fishermen as they make the conversion to sport fishing captains and guides.

If you would like to sponsor the transition of fishing families to more sustainable activities, call IEMANYA at +1(310) 801-9478 in the USA or +52-612-123 5425 in Mexico. Please also visit the IEMANYA website at www.iemanya.org to learn more about the important shark conservation work this nonprofit organization leads.

Additional Resources

Manta Research in the Sea of Cortez
Saving Sea Turtles in Baja Mexico
Pygmy Sperm Whale Beaches in La Paz
Whales return to Baja