Research project.
The topic of this research is the approval of the NOM- 029- PESC- 2006 and its impact to the sport fishing tourism in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico from 2007 to 2010, which is titled: The impact of the Norm- 029 to sport fishing.
Problem statement.
This are one of the major tournaments made in Los Cabos, starting in May and finishing in November proximately.
| NAME | DATE | SPECIES |
| Canacintra Tournament Los Cabos | 1st weekend of May | Tuna, Goldfish, Wahoo |
| IGFA world offshore championship western outdoor news | 2nd weekend of May | Marlin, Tuna, Goldfish, Sailfish |
| Los Cabos Billfish Classic International Game fish Tournament | 3rd weekend of May | Marlin, Goldfish, Tuna, Sailfish |
| Los Cabos Stars & Stripes Western Outdoor News | 3rd weekend of June | Goldfish, tuna, wahoo |
| Los Cabos bill fish Hotels Asociation | 2nd weekend of October | Marlin, goldfish, tuna, sailfish |
| Bisbee’s Black & Blue | 3rd weekend of October | Marlin |
| Los Cabos World Cup international Game fish tournament | Last weekend of October | Marlin |
| Los Cabos Tuna Tournament western Outdoor news | 1st weekend of November | Tuna |
The main target species of sport fishing are:
Tuna, Grouper, Goldfish, Blue, Black and Striped Marlin, Snapper, Swordfish, Roosterfish, Sailfish and Wahoo.
These are one of the regulations for the practice of sport fishing (synthesis):
In Mexico it is used exclusively for sport fishing, a range of 50 nautical miles from the baseline ... a total of 6 species, 3 referred to as billfish (marlin, sailfish and swordfish) in addition to the shad, rooster fish and goldfish.
Fishing is prohibited or simulated acts of sport fishing with commercial fishing permission.
Peeling is prohibited on board.
You must have a fishing license.
The catch limits are 5 copies per day per angler in waters and10 in sea waters, no more than 5 per species.
Marlin, sailfish, swordfish and shark: only 1 specimen = 5 species
Shad, goldfish or rooster fish: 2 specimens = 5 species
It is true that there is a regulation for sport fishing, but in 10 years the amount of fish for sport fishing will be decreased for the large number of fishing tournaments conducted annually on the coast of Baja California Sur and Los Cabos, plus that the relevant authorities don´t control as they should the granting of fishing permits.
It is required to have more control over the number of participants in each tournament and to increase the vigilance to regulatory compliance to them.
It could be established a maximum number of participants per tournament, according to the number of existing target species of it.
It could be established a maximum number of participants per tournament, according to the number of existing target species of it.
Problem statement.
What are the effects of the application of the norm 029 to sport fishing tourism?
Problem systematization:
Ø What is the purpose of the norm 029?
Ø Does the norm 029 regulate the billfish by catch?
Ø In any part or fraction of the norm 029 is the sport fishing mentioned?
Ø Which are the benefits of the norm 029?
Ø Which is the importance of the norm 029?
Ø What does the norm forbid?
Ø Which was the number of registered participants in the sport fishing tournaments before and after the application of the norm 029?
Ø Is there any relation between the norm 029 and sport fishing?
Objectives
General Objective. To know what has been the impact of the approval and application of the norm 029 to the sport fishing tourism in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, in the period from 2007 to 2010.
Specific Objectives:
Ø To know what is the purpose of the norm 029.
Ø To investigate if the norm 029 regulates the billfish by catch.
Ø To investigate if in any part or fraction of the norm 029 is the sport fishing mentioned.
Ø To investigate what are the benefits of the norm 029.
Ø To investigate what is the importance of the norm 029.
Ø To investigate what does the norm 029 forbid.
Ø To investigate which was the number of registered participants in the sport fishing tournaments before and after the application of the norm 029
Ø To analyze the existing relation between the norm 029 and sport fishing.
Justification
The main reason for undertaking this research is to understand the effects that the application of the norm 029 causes to the sport fishing tourism, benefit with this the tourist service providers dedicated to this activity directly, and indirectly lodging establishments, food, recreation, etc. since the answer to the problem, sport fishing tourism would increase as the economic income that it generates in the destiny, benefit this way the society in general due to the main economic income is tourism.
This research was made in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. 9° quarter in the Tourist Business Administration Degree in the Universidad del Golfo de California, from May 9th 2011 to August 8th of 2011, with a cost of $10,183.00 pesos, that includes college costs, transportation, stationery, internet, salary, among others.
Framework
Theoretical framework. In a press release issued by the organization Seawatch was discussed:
1. Reduction of protected areas: “Under the current regulations, there are not allowed that the crafts of commercial fishing should go fishing or possess marlin, sailfish, goldfish, and other species saved for the sports fishing inside a zone of 50 miles”. “..under the norm 029- PESCA- 2006 these species can be captured and commercialized. Commercial ships of less than 30 feet of length can go fishing up to 10 miles before the coast with networks of long line.
The crafts with commercial networks between 30 and 89 feet can fish up to 15 miles of the coast west of the peninsula of Baja California.
Likewise the populations of shark will face a major overexploitation and the fishermen will have to depend on big quantities of billfish bycatch, which will impress negatively the sports fishing and to the tourism.
2. Permissions in 2007: There are approximately 4200 crafts that are going fishing with permissions of shark fishing.
308 permissions were sent for ships of more than 89 feet of length and 225 for ships of 89 or fewer feet of length.
More than 600 are for riverside fishermen and each permission protects the activity of 6 pangas.
Based on these fishing practices, it means that any day there can be more than 1 million and a half of fishhooks for sharks, stripes and other species in the Sea of Cortes.
The norm 029 is a watershed for the conservation of marine organisms.
“The norm 029 harmonizes the 3 sectors of fishing: sport fishing, riverside and industrial. In spite of this, the pressure for stopping the Norm continues by part of the sport fishing sector, who try to continue obtaining more benefits ... If this norm was not coming into force, the serious situation of the populations of sharks and stripes can increase, since nowadays there is no regulation on this fishery” says Alejandro Olivera, the Ocean campaign coordinator from Greenpeace.
In an article published on May 28, 2007 in “La Jornada” it was said: " ... but the sector of the sport fishing, especially that of Baja California Sur asks to repeal the norm invoking reasons not scientific at all, and what is worse, cheating the public opinion, especially to that of United States, under the pretext of which it affects the interests of this sector; organizations of the neighbor country, like Seawatch, they head the fight to repeal a charitable legislation that can and must be perfected”…
“…Another lie is that the norm reduces a zone of exclusion of 50 miles of the sport fishing. This zone neither exists legally nor is established in the norm 029... it establishes with all clarity: the species called marlin, sailfish, swordfish, shad, roosterfish and goldfish, they remain destined in an exclusive way for the sport recreative fishing... "
... "The spokesmen of the sport fishing allege that they were not taken in mind on the elaboration of the norm. On the contrary, they were in the workgroup that discussed it for 10 years. His observations were attended if they had scientific and technical bases. In the limit, the detractors of the norm said that this one will affect the diverse species of sharks and stripes and other threatened and on danger of extinction, when it will do everything opposite with sea turtles, whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals…”
This is an extract of the Forum Results of Analysis and Proposals to the Norm 029 in Los Cabos Baja California Sur, on February 18th and 19th of 2007. Same that proves that the spokesmen of sport fishing were taken in mind in these meetings, but by the lack of scientific and technical bases, their proposals were invalid.
Proposal: Incidental Occurrence. A ban on the merchandizing of species reserved for sport fishing. It’s prohibited the landing port of reserved species (zero). The product of by catch is donated to the public charity.
Answer: There are a few or no studies of by catch of species of shark and other species in the shark fishery… the selectivity of fishing methods has to be adapted to avoid catching non target species.
Conceptual framework. These are one of the most important concepts that I consider in my research.
Billfish: Fish reserved for sport fishing. Billfish are characterized by a long spear like or sword like upper jaw or beak.
By catch: Volume or number of non- target species caught incidentally.
Length: Distance that has the ship on the first or main deck from the stern to the bow on the inside.
Shark: Any species of elasmobranches whose main external characteristic it’s of possessing, generally, five couples of gill slits arranged to the sides of the head.
Stingray: A group of elasmobranches that have the mouth and gill slits in ventral position.
Nautical mile: Unit of length used in maritime and air navigation equivalent to 1852 meters.
Hypothesis
The application of the norm- 029 adversely affects the sport fishing tourism in Los Cabos.
Results of the research titled:
The impact of the Norm- 029 to sport fishing.
Type of study, research method.
This investigation is of explanatory type, since it orientates to the checking of a hypothesis, using an analysis method, with reading and writing techniques of information obtained from documentary primary and secondary sources in wide sense.
On having gathered the information of the way before mentioned, I give response to the systematization of my investigation, of which I give the following answers:
The NOM - 029 has the intention of inducing to the sustainable utilization of the sharks and the stripes, as well as contribute to the conservation and protection of elasmobranches and other species that are captured incidentally. This means that the norm does not regulate the by catch of billfish.
The application of this norm is in charge of the regulation of the sharks and stripes fishing, as well as the by catch of this species.
In any paragraph or section of this norm is mentioned something about sport fishing, but yet there is a relationship between the norm and this type of fishing, and it’s mentioned below:
Among its benefits, the norm applies to sport fishing by banning shark fishing in a strip of sea, according to the type of boats and fishing equipment, which will avoid the incidental catch of species for recreational fishing in these areas. Also regulates the use of hooks to reduce by catch of other species. It also protects areas of high diversity of species (coral reefs and river mouths and lagoons), and other species such as sea turtles, whales and sea lions, among others.
Among the prohibitions are of fishing activities during the closure, to 5 km of sea lion colonies in zones established for the shelter of sharks and rays and around coral reefs and a strip width of 5 km in front of nesting beaches for sea turtles, among others.
Due to sharks and rays are characterized for reaching their sexual maturity in few more years, have longer gestation periods, produce few offspring, and having mayor longevity than other species, it’s necessary to control fishing effort to avoid the deterioration of their populations. That is why it is leading to fishermen to use more selective fishing gears, which cause least impact on resources and environment, to avoid the discards caused by catch and improve fishery statistics. Here is the importance of this standard.
In relation to the number of participants in sport fishing tournaments before and after the application of the norm, I couldn’t get the data, due to the lack of time for the research, because I had to send a letter to SAGARPA office in La Paz, Baja California Sur, specifying what data I required and for what purpose I needed it, because they couldn’t give me some information due to the “Transparency Law”, the lady said. Besides, she told me that they had a lot of requirements, so she couldn’t warrantee me a prompt answer.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, I reject my hypothesis because the Norm- 029- PESC- 2006 doesn’t affect adversely the sport fishing tourism, rather, it helps to make a better selectivity in fishing, and regulates the number of boats and type of hooks to be used in fishing, and this benefits the conservation of marine species of all kinds.
