Watch: Sea Shepherd films attack on ship by fishermen caught using banned nets

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

19 MIN AGO
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Sea Shepherd environmental group has published a video of an attack by about two dozen small fishing boats on the vessel Farley Mowat in Mexico's Gulf of California.

Fishermen in the Gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, have long complained about environmentalists trying to protect the vaquita marina, the world's smallest and most endangered porpoise.

Sea Shepherd said today that fishermen threw lead weights and tried to douse the Farley Mowat and waters around it with gasoline yesterday.

The video shows some of the fishing boats carried gill nets, though they are banned within the reserve designed to protect the vaquita.

Read more: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/world/watch-sea-shepherd-films-attack-ship-fishermen-caught-using-banned-nets?variant=tb_v_1

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[DRoseDARs]

1. If Mexico were serious about protection, they'd follow the African model of anti-poaching.

Kill the poachers on-sight.

They won't. The extreme example is because where that model is followed, the local government depends on the income the reserves bring in. Poachers are not just poaching, but killing a revenue stream local communities rely on, supporting healthcare, clean water, education, electricity and so on. Unless Mexico gets serious, those dolphins are dead. A Twitter campaign won't do shit for them. Bullet-ridden illegal fisherman will.

[gaiadiversity]

3. Unfortunately

many of the poachers are local fishermen desperate for $. They can make thousands of dollars in a single night. The money comes from drug cartels that sell the totoaba swim bladders to China. Many of the local fishermen are willing to take the risk since the economy in San Felipe has crashed. The fisheries are overfished and tourism has declined dramatically. The Mexican government should have taken action to save the vaquita (an endemic harbor porpoise, not a dolphin) a decade or more ago. Population estimates now are around 12 individuals left. A "bullet-ridden illegal fisherman" in this case would turn both the community and drug cartels even more against Sea Shepherd and the Mexican authorities and the delta region would then turn into more of a free-for-all than it already is.

Just a side note: Only one of the animals in the above photos is a vaquita, the dead one being held in the guys arms.

[DRoseDARs]

6. I realize that. The African model encompasses more than just ending the lives of poachers.

The locals living in or next to reserves themselves are a problem because often they're just trying to survive. Incorporating them into the conservation efforts has proven very effective. Poachers and drug cartels? Yeah no, they can be killed.

But this is Mexico we're talking about. Their trolling of Trump is amusing, but the reality of their political climate is one of pervasive corruption and far-too-powerful drug cartels. Those dolphins are doomed.

[GulfCoast66]

8. A DU members wanting people summarily executed?

See something new every day. Glad not often.

[DRoseDARs]

9. You're welcome to your opinion. I stand with Africa and other poor regions struggling with issues.

I don't think you realize just how insidious the problems they and other parts of the developing world face are. Don't let your privilege living in the developed world blind you to what they deal with daily just to survive.

[rwsanders]

13. Well the poachers aren't Billy Bob taking a deer out of season...

your critics are ignoring the larger facts:
The poaching is connected to and helping fund the drug cartels (that disappeared 47 kids on a field trip)
World-wide poachers have wantonly killed wildlife enforcement agents and activists (Diane Fossey comes to mind)
World-wide ~170 environmentalists and environmental activists are killed every year. I still refuse to buy from Shell because they were involved in the execution of Ben Saro Siwa.
Extinction is forever

[rwsanders]

10. Well from what I've heard that many aren't accepting buy out offers.

The offers would pay for them to turn in permits, delay fishing, or a complete buyout to permanently give up fishing rights. The Wikipedia article says that estimates say it would only cost $26 million to end the fishery in the northern Sea of Cortez. But what is most infuriating is that some of them are saying they hope the vaquita go extinct because then they can fish with no restrictions.
I just caught up with this issue. I try to stay up to date, but I had been thinking that he "critically endangered" was like the northern right whale, a very small, but stable population. I have been in a panic since I've found out that the population is crashing. I immediately sent a contribution to Sea Shepherd and I have all but completely decided to shut down contributions to Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife to send them more.
Anyway, the fishermen from what I have read have no real connection to the Sea of Cortez. The Mexican government moved them there to exploit the resources. So they have no respect for what is there. It is just something to be taken.

Another infuriating item, why isn't this in the news daily?
Sadly though, I think you are right and their fate is sealed. I will be very depressed, never understood that feeling, but getting there now.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Thank you for the info. on the guys I have assumed were locals.

That adds an even uglier layer to this story.

Have also been hoping, from the first, even before people tried to "rescue" them to take them into another place to protect, that they could be saved and allowed to live again before finally being destroyed forever.

Surely wish enough pressure could be applied to the Mexican government to get it to round these freaks up, and set up better protections.

[rwsanders]

15. A captive breeding program was attempted and abandoned...

A captured female died shortly after capture, and a juvenile was showing signs of stress and released.
I'm just praying that the surveys are inaccurate and there are more hidden away somewhere.
Apparently they hide out in shallow bays and can spend much of their time inactive.

I've been gathering information since I found how critical the situation was. Here are some good links I've found:
https://seashepherd.org/campaigns/milagro/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaquita

https://www.vaquitacpr.org/

There are a couple of good articles on Motherjones.com (just search for vaquita). Both have the same author. The good news (But maybe too little too late) is that the courts are forcing the U.S. to ban imports of fish illegally caught in this area. The fact that the fishermen are attacking Sea Shepherd means that they are making headway.

Also here are a couple of good books I've found on Amazon. They are going to be my next read.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1610919319/?coliid=I20FUQ2O9Z2S0Y&colid=3VKCPWS81BV8O&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1507755775/?coliid=I1GA1FAZY8YHRK&colid=3VKCPWS81BV8O&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
And a vaquita that is safe to hold as your own:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0767LV4LN/?coliid=I13RWKI410Z29R&colid=3VKCPWS81BV8O&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I've been reading books on individual cetacean species, and I've finished one on the right whale, the beluga, the narwhal, the gray whale (have a second to finish), and was researching my next when I decided to make it the vaquita. That is how I caught up. As I said I've been panicked and sending e-mails. Sent one to the artist John Perry who was involved in the Save the Whales campaigns of the '70's. He wasn't aware the situation was so critical either. I don't know what his plans are, but I suggested he contact Homero Aridjis who was central to the efforts to preserve monarch butterfly habitat and protect the San Ignacio lagoon from a proposed salt plant that Mitsubishi wanted there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homero_Aridjis

I've also e-mailed Rachel Maddow, and the group that is restoring the boat that John Steinbeck was on when he explored the Sea of Cortez:
http://westernflyer.org/

[Judi Lynn]

14. Had no idea about the cute faces in the photos. They always show up in google searches for vaquita.

It's nothing but hell learning nothing can be done but to allow these actual monsters to go right ahead and terminate an entire species.

There really will never be a justification for it, not ever.

If the fishermen can't be persuaded to become decent and back away from this evil behavior, they should be arrested and imprisoned, as many as they can locate, and the area simply locked down for fishing altogether.

By the way, do you have any idea what the little water beasties are with such cute faces, if they aren't vaquitas? They will always appear on image searches when you're trying to summon pictures of the real vaquitas.

Thank you.

Welcome to D.U.

[rwsanders]

16. they may be the irrawaddy dolphin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrawaddy_dolphin

[Judi Lynn]

19. I'm sure that's it! They also have a blunt face, without a muzzle-like nose and mouth.

The scale illustration also shows they are very diminutive, pint-size dolphins, as well.

Had never heard of this dolphin until seeing your post.

Thanks for clearing it up. I'm certain you're right.

[rwsanders]

21. I did a search and haven't been able to find a single good picture of a vaquita.

There are some of their backs, and one of one in a wave. The other pictures are of dead animals. I was hoping to have something to post.

[Judi Lynn]

26. It is depressing seeing so many images of dead vaquitas. Hideous. Thanks for checking. n/t

[rwsanders]

27. When I contacted John Perry...

He said his next sculpture to be released would be a vaquita.

http://johnperrystudio.com/

[Judi Lynn]

28. Wonderful to hear this. Thank you so much for your idea, and for sharing that link.

His heart is clearly in the right place, as seen in his amazing work.

That would be so helpful.

This subject needs all the attention it can get before it's too late.

[Coventina]

18. Agree. Kill poachers on sight.

I will take the animals' side over humans behaving badly. Every. Single. Time.

[Devil Child]

22. +1 n/t

[GusBob]

2. Farley Mowat was a great Canadien author

The guy was a real character

[gaiadiversity]

4. So true

he wrote some great books...

[GulfCoast66]

7. He loved Grape-nuts too!

[Judi Lynn]

29. Did not know. Thank you for the information. n/t

[JudyM]

5. Love Sea Shepherd, I donate to them. They're brave.

[rwsanders]

17. Just bought some gear from them. My wife wasn't too keen on the hooded sweatshirt with the logo.

She did like the whale tail pendant though.

[JudyM]

25. Yeah!

[rwsanders]

11. If this was a U.S. issue, I'd have more ideas on where to send letters, make calls, but any ideas? ?

Last edited Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:06 AM - Edit history (1)

I've contributed what I can to Sea Shepherd.
Who to call or write? I've been frantically sending e-mails hoping someone would give this issue national coverage.
I'm considering a letter to the Pope as Mexico is largely Catholic. I'm thinking him stating it would be a sin to let the vaquita go extinct might change some attitudes.

I sent a DU mail to salmonchantedevening asking him to make a mention of the vaquita in the Sunday LOL cats

Is there a place where those of us who are concerned could coalesce as a group and brain storm actions to take or ways to give the issue more visibility?

[dobleremolque]

20. One of my sons volunteered on the M/V Farley Mowat last summer.

He put in several months as an unpaid volunteer crew member of the vessel, and when they weren't out on sortie in the Marine Reserve in the northern Sea of Cortez, he lived in San Filipe, Baja California.

The vaquitas are collateral damage, caught in illegal drift nets set to catch the totoaba, a sea bass native to the Sea of Cortez. While the vaquitas are the most apparent victims, the totoaba is the target of the poachers efforts.

Totoaba swim bladders are used in Chinese medicine, where it's popularly believed that consuming them will buy you an extra half-hour of hard-on. The dried bladders fetch $25,000 or more per kilo. Totoaba swim bladders are so popular in China, that parents buy them as wedding gifts and "investments" for their children. The value of the swim bladders is only expected to grow.

The totoaba population in the Sea of Cortez has been catastrophically overfished. Fifty years ago, adult fish of 5 or 6 feet in length were common. Most of the large breeding adults have been fished out. Now, most totoaba caught are 2 or 3 feet maximum and have not reached breeding age. But it doesn't matter. The little ones have swim bladders, too. The totoaba is also headed for extinction.

The day to day work on the Farley Mowat involves locating drift nets, pulling them out of the water, and destroying them. They also free any trapped aquatic life that's still alive. At night when the poachers are most active, the Farley Mowat patrols with special heat signature detection equipment. When poachers are detected, the Farley Mowat notifies the Mexican Navy which has the job of catching them and arresting them, or chasing them out of the Marine Reserve.

It is heroic but frustrating work done by people who care about the planet so deeply...including ordinary Mexicans who don't want their natural heritage to be plundered.

[rwsanders]

24. Please send your son my thanks.

I'm not sure how to express how much I appreciate his efforts.
If it helps any, I just completed 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. I was on an extended active duty contract for 7 of those years and one of the reasons I became persona non grata at what was then MSO Mobile (Alabama) was during a ATFP (anti-terrorism/force protection) presentation put together by an third class petty officer. He tried to use Greenpeace and SSCS as examples of domestic terrorists. I reacted before I thought as said in front of the entire command that they did not fit the definition of terrorists. I think things would have gone very badly for me that day, but the head of the Planning Department said that he didn't see them as terrorists.
Also at my retirement I essentially implied that the USCG was choosing corporations over their integrity by arresting/tracking these groups rather than investigating their legitimate claims.

[Judi Lynn]

23. Mexican fishermen attack Sea Shepherd vessel protecting vaquita porpoise

Two dozen boats douse conversation vessel with gasoline
As few as 15 vaquita may remain in Gulf of California

Staff and agencies in Mexico City
Thu 10 Jan 2019 16.15 EST


The Sea Shepherd environmental group has published video showing an attack by about two dozen small fishing boats on the group’s vessel Farley Mowat in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

The fishermen in the Gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, oppose environmentalists trying to protect the vaquita marina, the world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise.

Sea Shepherd says fishermen threw lead weights, dead fish and even Tabasco sauce at the Farley Mowat and tried to douse the vessel and waters around it with gasoline in the attack on Wednesday.

. . .

Some fishermen threw a net in front of the Farley Mowat to foul the propellers of the Sea Shepherd vessel; others boarded the ship and apparently carried off some items.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/10/mexican-fishermen-attack-sea-shepherd-vaquita-porpoise

[gaiadiversity]

30. I've been volunteering

with Sea Shepherd for a couple years now as a drone operator (aka Gringorio) and deck crew. Before that I was following the vaquita/totoaba issue and traveled to San Felipe and El Golfo a few times. This issue is not as simple as 'kill the poachers'. While some of the poachers are from the outside working for the cartels, there are also local fishermen who are legitimately desperate to earn a living. As I said above, I feel that if you alienate the fishermen, you alienate the community and destroy any chance of a collaborative effort between local fishermen, NGO's and Mexican authorities. This is very complex and there is no easy answer.

A note on the attempted capture and breeding program. It was clear this was doomed from the beginning and many of us warned them of the potential to kill any vaquita they caught. I'm happy they stopped the attempt, but it was terrible that they killed one vaquita and separated another from her mother.

I understand now that there are legitimate attempts to farm totoaba and that the sea pen floating near San Felipe (that was built to house vaquita) is now being used as a test to farm totoaba.

[rwsanders]

31. Obviously a Mexican fish isn't connected to any "traditional" Chinese medicine...

I'm wondering if there has been any effort to gather those who want this item and let them sample the swim bladders of other commercially harvested fish. There has to be one that is just as useless as the ones from the totoaba?

Thanks for your work. I'd love to be able to separate from my ordinary life for a while and volunteer. Maybe closer to retirement.