Sport fishing for mahi-mahi in danger for proposed commercial release

Sport fishermen, tourism service providers, and state officials voiced their opposition to a proposed law that would permit commercial fishing of mahi-mahi, a species that is only used for sport fishing, at a press conference.

Martn Inzunza Tamayo, the executive director of the Fund for the Protection of Marine Resources (Fonmar), mentioned that congressmen and fishing cooperatives have proposed initiatives to amend the General Law of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture. This law currently permits incidental fishing of species intended for sport fishing.

The National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Conapesca) regulates incidental fishing, but according to Fonmar, 200 fishing boats are allegedly harming tuna, sardine, mahi-mahi, and marlin off the coasts of Baja California Sur.

Sport fishing is essential to Los Cabos because it draws 9% of visitors and will bring in US$700 million by 2022. The Bisbees tournaments’ coordinator, Clicerio Mercado Hernández, emphasized the tournaments’ contribution to Cabo San Lucas’ economic development. However, doing so harms the more than 31,000 Los Cabos residents who depend on commercial fishing.

“Cabo San Lucas has grown to a great extent, it is thanks to sport fishing; of course it is not the only activity, but it is the most important. The number of people who depend directly on sport fishing is impressive, more than 31 thousand people. We are part of those 31 thousand, now imagine the families, plus the filleters; the people who come to sport fishing generate expenses in restaurants, bars and I dare to say that even the night clubs benefit from it”.