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In 1985 Mexico led the world in billfish conservation efforts by creating a 50-mile conservation zone along its coastlines. Within that zone, there was no harvest of sailfish, marlin, dorado and swordfish beyond the established sportfishing bag limits. This essentially eliminated commercial fishing for those species within the zone. Mexico’s marine resources and lucrative sportfishing industry have benefited from the protected area for over 20 years. But no more. In June of this year, Mexico’s federal fisheries agency, CONAPESCA, established new shark longlining regulations (Nom-029). These laws opened waters within 15 miles of shore to an unlimited “bycatch” and sale of sailfish, dorado, marlin and swordfish by any vessel holding a valid shark permit. Longlining involves placing upwards of 40 miles of line with baited hooks into the ocean. Common bycatch includes sea turtles, seabirds and untargeted gamefish. 

Nom-029 will not only increase harvest of seriously depleted shark stocks, it will encourage the harvest and sale of marlin, sailfish, dorado and other species previously protected within the conservation zone. Though the regulations were rejected by Mexico’s last two presidents, they were strongly supported by commercial fishing interests in Ensenada, Sinaloa and Sonora who hope to convert from shrimping to more profitable pelagic longlining.

The Nom-029 does have some conservation measures. It ostensibly outlaws shark finning and closes some shark nursery grounds seasonally. It also requires circle hooks on longlines, bans the harvest of giant manta rays and great white, basking and whale sharks, and phases out the use of drift gillnets in two years. Enforcement of these restrictions will be a challenge. The real danger in the new rules, however, lies in opening a directed fishery with longlines inside the traditional 50-mile conservation zones. According to reliable sources in the fishing industry, there are approximately 4,200 boats with existing shark permits. Longline vessels as large as 89 feet will be allowed to fish inside a 20-mile zone from shore.

Past experimental fishing in these areas has demonstrated that 80 to 90 percent of the catch in a longline shark fishery will be billfish, dorado and other species not “targeted” by large-scale commercial vessels. “The Nom-029 will have a devastating effect on Mexico’s billfish resources,” said The Billfish Foundation’s (TBF) President Ellen Peel, “allowing as many as 1.5 million longline hooks per day into the previously protected waters of the Pacific and Sea of Cortez. TBF is going to go all out in our fight to reverse this tragedy.”

Public outrage over the initiation of Nom-029 was quick and dramatic. Mexican senator Luis Coppola formed a senate workgroup to address the issue. “Senators from the main three parties joined me in initiating efforts with major representatives from the sportfishing and tourism community to solve this bitter threat to our oceans,” said Senator Coppola. Soon after the senate action, the head of fisheries, Ramon Corral, announced that he would look at modifications to resolve concerns over billfish. At press time, no action had been taken.

TBF and partners in Mexico, along with the government of Baja California Sur, have requested that the 50-mile zones already in place be respected, and that bycatch of species currently protected by that zone not be allowed. They also requested that permits issued in one state not be valid for fishing in another, and that the Mexican Navy be charged specifically with enforcing all provisions in the Nom. Additionally, TBF is supporting a comprehensive scientific review of all potential impacts of these rules. Of particular interest is the economic benefit of sportfishing on Mexico’s coastal communities.