Sea Watch | Summary of American and Mexican Interviews on the Decreases in Fisheries in Sea of Cortez, The Pacific Side of the Baja and Southern California

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SeaWatch Report

Summary of American and Mexican Interviews on the Decreases in Fisheries in Sea of Cortez, The Pacific Side of the Baja and Southern California

Interviews with Mexican Fishermen

The full Mexican Interviews

Name and Interview Date	Years Fishing and Main Fishing Area	Percent Decrease in Billfish Over Last 15 Years	Percent Decrease in All Fisheries In Last 15 Years Including Shark, Billfish, Pargo, Cabrilla and Grouper
Francisco Cota Ruiz 2000	15 - 20 years - Cabo	40%	Fishes billfish daily (250 days a year)
Juan Jose Arce 2000	15 years - Cabo	45 to 50%	Fishes billfish daily
Roberto Sandes 2000	15 years - Cabo	" a lot more than 50%"	Fishes billfish daily
Esteban Ortiz 2000	22 years - Cabo	50 to 60%	Fishes billfish daily
Juan Perez 2000	25 years - Cabo	50% - especially in billfish	50%
Abraham Marquez 2001	12 years - Los Brailles	30% in last 12 years	30% in the last 12 years
Jesus Banaga 2001	27 - 28 years - La Playita	50%	50%
Marco Guluarte 2001	25 years - La Playita	"The billfish are almost gone."	more than 50%
Eric Briesen 2001	15 years - La Playita	50%	50%
Amadeo Marquez 2001	10 to 15 years - La Playita	"literally nothing"	40%
Julio Castro 2001	19 years - Cabo	70%	- -
Benito Agundez 2001	20 years - Sea of Cortez	50 - 70%	sharks - 75 to 80%
Ricardo Agundez 2001	10 years - Cabo	30 to 70%	sharks - 90%
Antonio Castro 2001	7 years - La Playita	- -	50%
Marco Antonio Guluarte 2001	15 years - La Playita	- -	20 to 30%
Jose Cruz Gonzalez 2001	46 years - La Playita	- -	about 60%
Monico Galban 2001	10 years - Los Barilles	- -	has seen decrease
Eduardo Castro 2001	- -	- -	20 to 30% in last 10 years
Amador Talamantes 1996	10 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	A panga 10 years ago, would catch 200 to 300 kilos/day then, now takes 10 pangas to do the same thing.
Manuel Salvador Alvarez 1996	- 15 year - Sea of Cortez	- -	His fishing village has gone from 10 tons per day to 200 to 300 kilos per day.
Miguel Cota 1994	many years - Sea of Cortez	- -	"There has been a decrease."
Fernando Reyes and Castro Navarro 1994	at least 15 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	70 to 80%
Valentine Romero Murrillo 1994	at least 10 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	80%
Pantaleon Calderon 1994	30 to 40 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	"Fish are very scarce now." Before you would catch a ton a day, now it takes 10 days to catch a ton.
Manuel Valdez 1994	30 to 40 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	"You can’t compare now with then. Now you have to work hard just to eat."
Francisco Javier de la Toba 1994	at least 10 to 15 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	"The catch is much smaller now."
Cruz de la Toba Amador 1994	35 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	"At first, there were a lot of fish. Now there is almost nothing."
Rafael Iglesias 1996	50 years - Sea of Cortez, fishes on a converted shrimper and is from Topo.	- -	Noticed a big decrease last 10 years. Our boat would could catch 1.5 tons/daythen, now we catch 2 tons in 10 days
Javier Magaña 1996	- -	- -	"Yes, it has gone down a lot."
Abraham Marquez - 2001	12 years in Sea of Cortez	- -	Fishing has decreased by 30% in last decade
Eduardo Castro - 2001	20 years in Sea of Cortez	- -	20% to 30% decrease in last twenty years
Jesus Banaga - 2001	25 years in Sea of Cortez	- -	Fishing has decreased 50%
Jose Cruz Gonzalez - 2001	46 years in Sea of Cortez	- -	Fishing has declined about 60%
Marco Guluarte - 2001	15 years in Mexico	- -	Ffishing has decreased by more than 50%
Marco Antonio Guluarte - 2001	15 years in Mexico	- -	All fisheries down at least 20% to 30%
Eric Briesen - 2001	15 years in La Playa	All have declined	Fishing has been reduced by 50%
Antonio Castro - 2001	7 years in Mexico	- -	Ffishing is down 50%
Amadea Marquez - 2001	10 to 15 years in Mexico	60%	Literally left of some fisheries for us
Julio Castro - 2001	20 years in Sea o fCortez	70%	Fish sizes have dropped in half
Benito Agundez - 2001	20 years in Sea o fCortez	50% to 70%	Pelagics are much smaller in size
Ricardo Agundez - 2001	10 years in Sea of Cortez	30% to 70%	Sharks have decreased by 90%

Interviews with American Fishermen and Divers

The full American Interviews

Name and Interview Date	Years Fishing or Diving And Area Commented Upon	Percent Decrease in Billfish Over Last 15 Years	Percent Decrease in All Fisheries In Last 15 Years Including Shark, Billfish, Pargo, Cabrilla and Grouper
Tony Berkowitz	17 years - Sea of Cortez	50% - 60%	Tuna populations have dropped 25% - 40%, Sharks 40% - 60%
Terry Maas	35 years - Mexico and So. California	- -	Tuna populations have dropped 50% - 70%, blue sharks in So. Cal 99%
Richard Hoffman	23 years - Panama to California	30% - 75%	Tuna populations have dropped 20% - 40%, mako sharks 40%
Ron Mullins	30 years - Mexico and So. California	- -	Yellowtail now much smaller in size
David Purcell	boat captain 10 years - Sea of Cortez	25% - 50%	Tuna populations have dropped 25% - 40%, maco sharks 60% in So. Cal.
Jim Mabry	45 years Mexico, Cal. and Hawaii	- -	Shark population has dropped 50% -75%
Steve Murphy	20 years Baja and So. California	40% - 50%	All populations down 20% to 70%
Robert Caruso	40 years in So. California	- -	Tuna populations have dropped 50% - 70%, blue sharks 60%
Brian Quinn	10 years at Revillagigedo Islands	- -	Wahoo and tuna smaller and lower in number
Brian Yoshikawa	10 years at Revillagigedo Islands	- -	No really big fish anymore
Gerald Lim	10 years at Revillagigedo Islands	- -	Wahoo and tuna smaller and lower in number
Dave Elm	30 years in So. California	50%	Sharks have decreased 90%
Carl Robbins	40 years around San Diego, Ca.	30% - 60%	Most fisheries depleted in both numbers and size
Jeff Kingsley	20 in So. California, 15 years in Mexico	50% - 60%	Sharks reduced 50% to 60%
Burleigh Brewer	40 years in So. California and Mexico	30% - 40%	Pelagics are much smaller
Charlie Johnson	50 years	90%	Average striped marlin 25 poounds lighter
Dean Plant	20 years in So. California and Mexico	50%	Shark populations down 60% to 90%
A. Michael Moutlon, M.D.	40 years in So. California	40% to 50%	All fisheries down 15% to 70%
Doug Wright	35 years	50%	Sharks 80% to 99%
Greg Stotesbury	35 years in Mexico and Pacific	major decline in last decade	Other fisheries 50% to 90% reductions
Frank Adler	38 years in So. California and Mexico	50% - 75%	Shark populations reduced 50% to 75%
Steve Behrens	30 years in So. California and Mexico	50% in California	Shark population decline 30% to 50% in last decade
Robert Hetzler	30 years in So. California	50% in last decade	Number of smaller fish increasing
John Willis	40 years in So. California and Mexico	- -	Everything down 25% to 30%
Bill Shedd	30 years	- -	Blue sharks have declined 90%
Bill Byler	25 years in So. California and Mexico	- -	Blue sharks down 95%, yellowtail a shadow
Marty Snyderman	30 years - Southern California	- -	shark population has dropped almost 90%
Howard Hall	30 years - Sea of Cortez	- -	shark population has dropped 80% or worse
Pete Groesbeck	30 years - Southern California	50% - 60%	shark population has dropped 95%