San Agustinillo, Oaxaca Shark Fishing Video

A regional shark fishing boat comes back to Playa San Agustinillo, Mexico with the days catch.

San Agustinillo is known as an upscale tourism hub in Mexico on the Pacific coast. Most of these sharks will be finned and the meat sold as "swordfish" in local markets.

San Agustinillo, Oaxaca Shark Fishing Video

A regional shark fishing boat comes back to Playa San Agustinillo, Mexico with the days catch.

San Agustinillo is known as an upscale tourism hub in Mexico on the Pacific coast. Most of these sharks will be finned and the meat sold as "swordfish" in local markets.

Shark fishing completely banned in Mexican waters?

The National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Conapesca) decided to ban the fishing of all shark species in federal waters on both coasts in order to contribute to the conservation of the resource.

The ban will be extended during the period of greatest reproductive intensity of the main species, that is to say, between May and August each year, and in each particular region.

According to Mexican fishery authorities, this is the first such action taken in the countries of Latin America.

Commission officials met on June 2 with concessionaires and licensees of commercial fishing for shark and specialists in this resource to present the results of "research on reproductive periods of representative species and the effects of their protection" by scientists from the National Fisheries Institute (Inapesca), reported Conapesca.

During the meeting held in Mexico City, Inapesca researchers detailed the methodology used in the sampling, presented the results of the studies in the geographical areas where the fleet of the country's coastal work and the information from the observers’ programme on board.

Before publishing the establishment of the closed season in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF), Conapesca will perform indications regarding the regulatory project with additional technical considerations made by experts of the Institute.

The meeting was also attended by some representatives of the National Chamber of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Canainpesca), of the Union of Coastal Shipowners from Océano Pacífico AC, of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (Conacoop) and Inapesca specialists.

Juan Campos Cárdenas, a spokesman for the Federation of Shark and Scale Cooperatives assured that fishermen are willing to enforce the ban. However, he sought to establish compensation for the period of inactivity.

While the Government considers that about 30,000 tonnes of sharks are caught annually in Mexican waters, several organizations for the protection of marine fauna warn that overfishing has reduced the volume, AFP reported.

Hope for the Bull Sharks of Playa del Carmen?

We have been watching the unfolding tragedy in Playa del Carmen with great interest. Both as a object lesson in shark site development and as an internal discussion within Mexico as to the fate of it's sharks.

As you might recall a new shark site featuring Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) exploded onto the scene a few years ago with great fanfare. Shortly after, a series of regional takes by fishing interests surprised many.

These takes devastated the local shark population.

The good news is that these few animals did not die in vain as a new NGO, Xooc, has taken on this regional tragedy and has produced a mini documentary about it. The first step, and may we say, great step in protecting these animals.

Kudos to everyone involved, this is first rate work:

Playa Bagdad Back in the News 50,000 Sharks?

Back in 2009 we posted a story about a small fishing camp called Playa Bagdad in Mexico, a place where shark fishing was rampant and perhaps a suitable candidate for a shark tourism conversion, similar to what we have seen in places like Isla Holbox.

This week Playa Bagdad made the news again, this time with biologists warning that 50,000 sharks a year are taken from this one small camp to fuel the shark fin trade, a trade which is now spilling illegally over into U.S.waters.

The Washington Post has an in depth look into this issue.

“Those guys are north of the line,” said Petty Officer Andrew Watzek, squinting at the 25-foot Mexican skiff and then at a radar screen, where the border is a bold line extending off the coast. “They’re definitely in American waters.”

Complete story here.

Slow Success in Gujarat - Distinct Whale Shark Population

If you have been watching the conservation push to protect and sustainably commercialize whale shark populations off the coast of Gujarat India, like we have, you can only be impressed with this regional effort.

Gujarat is a well known whale shark harvest site, with local fishermen in small boats who harpoon and net these animals, often reaping rewards of $80,000 rupee or close to $1800 USD per shark. In a location like Gujarat where the regional daily wage hovers at $3.00 the incentive to harvest whale sharks is extremely high.

Yet a small group of local NGO's with the help of India's Tata Chemicals have managed to change local views and redirect fishermen away from harvesting sharks for a promise of shark tourism efforts to come.

Sustainable shark tourism is the key to saving these animals.

Additionally the team rolled out a shark tagging and research effort that now suggests these animals are a distinct population. If you want to save a regional shark population this is the kind of news that drives conservation forward, aided by shark research.

With the titanic shark fishing disaster in Playa del Carmen this year, 22 dead bull sharks and counting, taken by local fishermen who were alerted to a shark aggregation site by local dive shops wanting to capitalize on shark tourism. Gujarat stands as a fine example of slow and steady site roll outs where fishing pressures and the chance to make money from sharks with a one time fishery can be changed and modified.

Worldwide the shark tourism model can be wildly successful, but only if tourism is countered with research and local behavior modification where regional fishing pressures only grow with demand, made more deadly each year by the modern equipment and methods that are driven by demand.

Kudos.

White Shark Video - Warning Graphic

With less than 4000 white sharks estimated to be left on the planet, video of this 12-14 foot animal struggling for life with no hope for anything but a sharp knife is...heart wrenching.

White sharks in Mexico are under siege, making sites like Isla Guadalupe rare safe areas in the life cycle of these magnificent animals. This shark was taken in February of 2010: