In Dr. Russell Nelson's 2001 report for SeaWatch, he stated that "the only good news was that fish traps hadn't arrived yet. The introduction of fish traps in the reef fish fishery of the Sea of Cortez would likely be the final stage in a serial depletion which would leave the ecosystem with little appeal to tourism and little to offer in terms of sustainable fish production for domestic consumption."

On August 8, 2002, SeaWatch received a discouraging report from a fisherman who had been spearfishing and freediving in the area for the past 10 years. "First, they killed all the sharks," the fisherman who wished to remain anonymous explained, "and now they are decimating the reefs." For the past 18 months there has been a large and growing fish trapping operation in Bahia San Francisquito. This operation is run by a man named Javier, who was once the part-time care-taker of the fly-in resort. Javier is catching 600 kilos of small fish per day in his fish traps. "I have been diving and spearfishing in this area before the fish trapping operations existed" Our source laments, "I can tell you that under the water the fish life is being exterminated."

These fish traps are at least as deadly as gillnets, because the traps catch the very small, immature fish. The fisherman reported that, "whole oceans look as though a vacuum has inhaled all of the cabrilla, ocean whitefish, spotted bay bass, golden spotted bass and small snapper. When I dive the areas around San Francisquito, I am horrified at how quickly and how much of the sea life has vanished in just the past year and a half. The southwest corner of Isla San Lorenzo used to look like an aquarium and now all the fish have been removed."

The Midriff Islands are the spawning ground for most of the Sea of Cortez and these fish traps are devastating the area. If left uncontrolled these traps will take the last 10% of what is left on the reefs in the Sea of Cortez.

More and more, fisherman are using fish traps around the islands because traditional fishing is no longer an economically viable career. The traps represent one of the last attempts to make a few dollars from taking what little remains in the sea. However, even this will be futile. There is no financial future in fish traps, and if the fish traps are allowed to persist there is no future for tourism in the Sea of Cortez.

The Sea of Cortez has entered the terminal phase of fish depletion at the same time the government is talking about adding dozens of new marinas to attract tourists. But the Sea of Cortez is at least 90% depleted. The government must manage its fisheries in order to attract tourists and the dollars they spend. The equation is simple: no sea life, no tourists. .

The Baja California Sur and federal governments must make fish traps illegal in the Sea of Cortez. However, this legal action alone will have no effect without enforcement. With a program like Guardianes Del Mar, privately-funded fish and game workers will monitor coastal areas and islands to ensure that these laws are not being broken.

If you see fish traps being used, take pictures and report it to SeaWatch. Only through public concern will the laws ever change.

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