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Dear SRI Newsgroup:
A couple of news worthy items for you: This is the update that was sent out on August 8, 2002: Great News from Mexico - Moving in the Right Direction On July 12 /2002, the official gazette for the Federal Government printed the resolution called NORMA OFICIAL MEXICANA NOM 029-PESC-2000 pesca responsable de tiburon y especies afines. This resolution is very very long, but the following points are very important inclusions for SRI and shark conservation efforts: 4.2.1 Every specimen kept aboard vessels dedicated to commercial fisheries of shark, must be utilized complete. Shark finning is strictly prohibited. In case of oceanic vessels it is allowed to discard the guts and heads. 4.2.2 It is prohibited to capture and retain specimens of the following species, Rhincodon typus (whale Shark), Cethorhinus maximus (Basking shark), Carcharodon carcharias (White shark), Pristis pristis, P. pectinata, P. microdon, and Manta birostris, Mobula japanica, M. thurstoni and M. tarapacana. Any specimen of these species that is caught as bycatch, must be returned to the ocean. These species cannot be kept live or dead, whole or parts, thus, cannot be dedicated for human consumption. This document has been in the works for over 6 years, and now it has finally been made public. While the above resolutions are great news for SRI, there are parts of the document that are less than favorable towards fishing activities in the Sea of Cortez. Once we have more information about all the details we will share it with our members. The resolutions are scheduled to become official on September 12. However, the Tourism Industry of Baja have filed a formal complaint against the Federal Government stating that the entire document as it stands will lead to incredible overfishing practices in the Sea of Cortez through longlining and gill netting activities. Two general meetings are being held later this month in order to propose the changes and addendum's to the document, and then hopefully it will pass, but not before then. Here is the update on this, which is a huge blow to commercial fisheries in Mexico: The Senate session in Mexico City on Oct. 8, 2002 during which the revocation of Shark Norma 029-2000 was announced by Sec. Javier Usabiaga. Photo courtesy Press Room, Mexican Senate. SHARK NORMA IS FINITO Shark Norma 029-2000 is finito. Kaput. Squashed like a cucaracha by the boot heel of President Vicente Fox himself. As revolutions go, the actual moment came rather quietly last week, with the printing of a brief 600-word statement in Mexico's official government publication, Diario Oficial, dated October 11, 2002. But don't forget that date, for it marks the biggest victory ever in Mexico's intramural struggle to protect all of its sea life, and to harvest it commercially in a logical and sustainable way that will ensure its benefits for future generations. To the last second, the norma was defended by stonewalling and obfuscation from CONAPESCA, the discredited Mexican Department of Fisheries. As recently as Oct. 2, fisheries chief Jeronimo Ramos came to Los Barriles and stunned local officials by stating during a closed meeting at the Hotel Palmas de Cortez that the Shark Norma would be published in its original form. Subsequently, fisheries officials and biologists seemed to confirm Ramos' betrayal of agreements made earlier in La Paz and by phone only days before. It looked like a classic knife in the back. But then, on the morning of Oct. 8, Armageddon fell upon Ramos' head, when full-page advertisements exploded in national newspapers all across Mexico. The text of these ads both criticized the Shark Norma and defended the policies of Mexican Secretary of Natural Resources, Victor Lichtinger, who recently closed the Alto Golfo Biosphere Reserve to shrimp trawlers that were destroying the sea bottom and killing totoabas and vaquita dolphins, of which there are only about 500 left. But much more telling than the actual text of these ads was the overwhelming roster of high-profile signatures below them. Among the scores of names and organizations were the cream of Mexican business, society, academia, government, and--in what must have been a personal blow to Ramos--even a long list of commercial fishing cooperativas from the Alto Golfo! The very mouths that CONAPESCA had cultivated with "closed eyes" for decades were fed up and turning to bite! By 5 p.m. that same day, the stage was set for a brutal grilling of Ramos' boss, Javier Usabiaga, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (SAGARPA), during a requested appearance before the Senate in Mexico City. Under extreme pressure from Sen. Veronica Velasco, Usabiaga finally uttered the key words. In unofficial translation of the Senate's stenographic record, Usabiaga said: "...obeying the mandate of the President...we are studying the legal process for revocation of the norma...so that once and for all the fear is eliminated that we will impose a norma at the cost of the tranquility of our country." Less than 72 hours later, Shark Norma 029-2000 was revoked in Diario Oficial, making the recent Los Barriles statements of fisheries chief Jeronimo Ramos look like those of someone who was not even in the information loop of his own agency. To restore its credibility before the federal government, it would seem that a complete, top-to-bottom housecleaning may be required at CONAPESCA. So, where does Mexico go from here? As a show of respect and gratitude to President Fox, one would assume that this month's APEC conference will be relatively free of any ugly demonstrations against CONAPESCA that might have been planned. Fox has proven that when it comes to fisheries, he's got the cojones to do what's right and make it stick. Next, it can hardly be forgotten that the basic policy of CONAPESCA and its parent agency, SAGARPA, is still all-out commercial fishing at any cost, as illustrated by this ludicrously short-sighted statement attributed to a high SAGARPA official: "I have one interest and only one in SAGARPA, and that is to produce food for the hungry people of Mexico. The protection of the vaquitas, the reefs, the sharks and all the other nonsense of the ecologists, a bunch of people that have nothing else to do except create problems for the producers of food, should be the concern of Mr. Lichtinger and SEMARNAT." The recent conservation victories have been truly revolutionary: Revillagigedos, East Cape gill nets, Alto Golfo, and Shark Norma 029-2000. But now, in addition to keeping the public eye on SAGARPA, a new and proper Shark Norma must be drafted, and keen attention must be focused where it is most critically needed: 1. Los Cabos offshore bajos (Gordo Banks, Jaime, and Golden Gate). 2. Bahia Magdalena. 3. Loreto Marine Park. 4. Sea of Cortez archipelago. More to come... Sec. Javier Usabiaga, right, being questioned by the Senate in Mexico City. Photo courtesy Press Room, Mexican Senate. Shark Fins on Sale in San Francisco On a recent trip to San Francisco one of our long standing members
came across some disturbing sights. If there is anything that we can do we will and we will certainly let you know if you can help to put a stop to this demand for shark fins and consequently the trade. Galapagos Expedition Update The most recent expedition to the Galapagos has just returned. This joint expedition with C2 Educational Expeditions was a big success. During our four days of diving at the island of Darwin, we had 20 + whale shark encounters. Two were tagged with visual ID tags and three tissue samples were obtained from three animals. SRI would like to thank the Galapagos National Park and the Marine
Preserve for their tremendous help and support that made this
a successful expedition. We are now looking forward to our
2003 expedition, of which we are planning at least three. |