2017 Articles & Videos

We invite you to browse through these articles and videos. Some local and some worldwide, some written by SeaWatch and some reprinted and reposted from online and magazines. These articles and videos show the success of SeaWatch, the changes in the Sea of Cortez and the world's oceans.

SeaWatch Article in bdoutdoors.com

This is an excellent article "A Glimmer of Hope - Baja Reef Conservation" published in bdoutdoors.com on our involvement in the creation of an artificial reef off Espiritu Santo and our efforts towards the recovery of the fish populations in the Sea of Cortez.

PROFEPA Imposes Fines on Two Vessels

ROC is now out on daily vigilance patrols with Profepa inspectors aboard. The following article is from a December 15, 2017 PROFEPA press release. - The Federal Office of Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) fined two vessels caught in the whale shark area without authorization. The first vessel was fined more than 50 thousand pesos and the second more than 30 thousand pesos for violating the Whale Shark Management Plan. Read More...

New SeaWatch Video

This recent video shows takes the SeaWatch story through the past 10 years. It shows our efforts to stop the illegal fishing that killed the majority of the reef fish in the Sea of Cortez. The video explains the formation of ROC and Espiritu Santo es parte de ti campaigns and their important roles in the reef recovery. See it here...

SeaWatch Interview with Edgardo Ochoa

Marine biologist and leader of Conservation Internationals’ global dive program, Marine biologist, Edgardo Ochoa, talks about his extensive experience working in the field of marine conservation and how we can help as individuals to reverse some of the damage done to the ocean ecosystems. In 1989, Edargo began his studies in marine biology at the Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR) – (translates to Centre of Interdisciplinary Marine Sciences) here in La Paz. Read More...

Mc-Fisher Restaurant Takes the Pledge

Yet another La Paz restaurant takes the pledge not to serve parrotfish. The Mc-Fisher Restaurant, located on Calle José María Morelos y Pavón in downtown La Paz, has recently joined 13 other restaurants in a pledge not to serve parrotfish on their menus. Community initiative, Espiritu Santo es Parte de Ti, has been working tirelessly to help raise awareness about the urgent need for the La Paz community to consider not eating parrotfish Read More...

Eyes on the Water

A citizen observer witnessed fisherman illegally gillnetting inshore reefs and throwing harpoons at threatened mobula rays at Isla Espiritu Santo, La Paz, BCS, Mexico. Since 2009, a ban on the netting of inshore reefs that have coral on them was approved by “El Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales” (SEMARNAT) – (translates to “The Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources”). Five years later, the new law was officially published by Read More...

Why Restaurants are Taking the Pledge

A community initiative to bring an end to the demand for parrotfish for human consumption has been targeting restaurants in and around La Paz to take the pledge not to offer these ecologically important species on their menus. Parrotfishes are a group of 90+ species that make up the family, Scaridae. These fish get their name from their teeth which are tightly packed together forming a parrot-like beak which they use Read More...

No Parrotfish at Las Tres Virgines

Las Tres Virgines in La Paz, BCS, Mexico becomes the eleventh restaurant, of an initial target of thirty, to pledge not to buy or sell parrotfish. They join Nim, Barcaccia, Sushi Odayaka, Sorstis, Mc Fisher, El Anzuelo, Mr. Fish, Stella, La Gaviota and Jiro Sushi in a public awareness campaign directed by Lucia Corral and her team at Espiritu Santo es Parte De Ti, a community run project in La Paz Read More...

600 kg of Illegally Caught Fish Seized

Following seven weeks of intensive intelligence work, community vigilance unit, ROC, help seize 600 kilograms of illegally caught fish during nocturnal operation at Isla Espiritu Santo. The Espiritu Santo Archipelago off the coast of La Paz, BCS, Mexico, has been under attack from illegal fishing by Pistoleros and Encerradores for the last 25 years, contributing to the rapid decline of its reefs and fish stocks Read More...

Luke Inman on the Importance of Espiritu Santo

“Espiritu Santo Island is probably the most important resource for the City of La Paz” Award Winning Filmmaker, Photographer, Writer and dive operator, Luke Inman Talks About the Importance of Isla Espiritu Santo to the City of La Paz, Mexico. Luke Inman is the owner of the responsible diving operation, Cortez Expeditions Read More...

Howard Hall Visits Sea of Cortez

World renowned marine cinematographer, Howard Hall of Howard Hall Productions returned to the Gulf of California / Sea of Cortez, 25 years after filming BBC and PBS documentary ‘Shadows in a Desert Sea’. During the 21 day trip, Howard found that locations that were once world class dive sites were now devoid of much of the marine life that once flourished... the schools of hammerhead sharks that once graced El Bajo sea mount were no where to be seen Read More...

SeaWatch Newsletters

Check out our newsletters to stay up-to-date with SeaWatch

What's New at SeaWatch:

2023 SeaWatch Newsletter

We are continuing our 2023 efforts to fully protect the inshore reefs in Espíritu Santo National Park through modification of its Management Plan. The draft plan will be out soon for review and it's critical we apply more pressure for better protection.

Ever since Cabo Pulmo National Park was created 27 years ago there has not been another reef fish recovery in the Sea of Cortez. To that end, we are launching the second phase of our campaign with a multimedia public strategy modeled after the very successful effort to protect the whale sharks in the Bay of La Paz. Read On...

SeaWatch Dream Come True

Since September of 2021, when our attorneys first petitioned the government to create large no take zones around Espiritu Santo National Park to facilitate reef and reef fish recovery, we have been building a dream team. A year later we have that team and a plan in place that is doing exactly that. To see the problem and solution. Click to view this short video...

SeaWatch Recovery Plan Details

This project will be the first recovery project in the Gulf of California since Cabo Pulmo, 27 years ago. It will restore the marine biodiversity of Archipielago Espíritu Santo National Park to a high level of abundance and reef recovery through modification to the park’s management plan and the deployment of policy and conservation finance strategies. Read More...

SeaWatch Annual Raffle

Scott Hanson donated his popular 19" bronze limited edition sculpture "Smooth Sailing" that retails between $7,700 and $9,250 depending on the gallery. Buy one or more tickets here. But hurry as only 150 raffle tickets will be sold!.

Espíritu Santo National Park
Recovery Project

Unsustainable, unregulated and illegal fishing practices during the last 40 years have severely impacted the diversity and richness of the Gulf of California, once considered the “Aquarium of the World”.
This national sea, dotted with more than 800 islands, is an ecologically unique marine ecosystem, and these island coastlines are environments used by marine species to complete all or part of their life cycle Read More...

Creating the Next Cabo Pulmo
Fisheries Recovery in the Sea of Cortez

Where there are fish of any commercial value, fishing interests will find a way to take them.
In 2019 and 2020 with the legalization of fish traps in the Espiritu Santo National Park (banned in most other places 30 years ago) it became clear that where there are fish, fishing interests will find a way to take them. Read More...

Fish Traps Devastate Marine Environments

Watch this video to see the evidence of the devastation caused by fish traps on reefs and reef fish over time. These traps are legal in Mexico and tragically in Espiritu Santo National Park. To learn more about fish traps and see the devastation they cause Click Here...

Sea Lions and Fish Nets

This video shows the entanglement of sea lions in fish nets and fishing gear in the Sea of Cortez. "Is this what we want in the Espiritu Santo National Park?"

Find SeaWatch On Facebook and You Tube