Phil Friedman Outdoors

Mexico steps up boarding vessels at sea

  

The Gallilean out of San Diego was fishing about 20 miles south of the Mexican American border Saturday at South Coronado Island when they were boarded by the Mexican Navy. Gallilean Sportfishing wrote the following in a Facebook post.

“Today at south Coronado island we got boarded by Mexican navy. It was a routine inspection and also wanted to see passports for passengers/crew. In the choppy weather, their steel boat met up with my wood boat.”  

A recent Sportfishing of California (SAC) newsletter had indicated that passports on passenger carrying sportfishers would only be necessary if they were to venture south of Ensenada.

Gallilean Sportfishing added this Facebook post:

 “Guess the Mexican navy doesn’t read the SAC newsletter.....lol"

The Horizon, Royal Polaris and at least one other vessel were boarded by the Mexican Navy at Cedros Island earlier this week where passengers asked for proof of citizenship.

“Three vessels were boarded on routine inspections,” wrote Michelle Gandola from SAC.  “They were asked for passports.  Some passengers didn’t have passports.  It created a situation but in the end all vessels were allowed to continue their fishing activities.”

The story that Mexico was going to start boarding US sportfishing vessels broke on Patch in early July. Arturo Martinez from the Baja California Norte State Tourism office said that you must have a passport to enter Mexican waters. "Yes absolutely, they are entering Mexican waters or territory and are required to comply with the immigration laws of Mexico.”

Martinez went on to say that even anglers on 3/4 trips to the Coronado Islands should carry a US Passport. "It's advisable because they (passengers) are in Mexican waters and it's an official form of Identification."    

Alex Masumoto owns the Rusty Hook Tackle store in San Pedro and posted the following on Facebook:

“It's their country and we have to follow their rules. Everyone should just quit whining and get their passport. I don't feel the Mexican Government did a good job of informing us. There should have been a definitive memorandum sent to San Diego Landings with requirements and a start date. Now they are forcing people to "expedite" the process costing hundreds of dollars.”

This all comes at a time when Mexico is having a terrible time getting American tourists to cross the border and spend dollars there. Steve Herckt from Orange said “just fish in US waters.”

Chris Dunn who is the chief meteorologist at KPHO-TV in Phoenix, Arizona posted the following on Facebook:

I don't think it's the policy itself a lot of people have a problem with, it's the apparent sudden, dramatic shift in requirements that seemed to have changed overnight with very little warning that has those wanting to fish in Mexican waters a little frustrated. For now if you don't have a passport, there's always Catalina Island!

For the time being, it appears that the most prudent course of action is to simply bring a passport along with you if you are going to be fishing in Mexican waters.

  “We recommend that all passengers who have a booked trip aboard a SAC fishing vessel contact their vessel’s office for information regarding their trip.  The Sportfishing companies can direct them to the best course of action and requirements to fish in Mexico,” said Gandola. “For all private yachters, contact the CONAPESCA office.”

More great white shark sightings. Great fishing continues just offshore.

The San Diego offshore scene remains very hit and miss with some rays of sunshine. The boat Pegaus worked pods of dolphin for limits of yellowfin tuna this week in the 15-35 lb. class. There has also been more kelp paddie yellowtail as well as some dorado.

 Surf fishing remains excellent for barred perch, corbina, some halibut, and more. The key bait has been sand crabs for most species. You’ll see a device in this weeks Patch Video Fishing Update that makes catching sand crabs easy. Great fishing from San Clemente to Redondo Beach.

 Calico bass fishing remains excellent with the kelp lines off San Clemente, Laguna, Newport, Corona del Mar and Palos Verdes kicking out limits (10 per angler) on most days. There continues to be great fishing for thresher sharks just offshore too.

 The sighting of a great white shark on the Dana Pride earlier this week has been followed by more sightings. Passengers on board the Dana Pride out of Dana Wharf Whale Watch got quite a surprise on Tuesday as the whale watchers on board not only saw a blue whale mother and calf, but also saw a great white shark.

 Then on Thursday, a 12-16 foot white shark was seen by the Dana Wharf ¾ day boat off San Onofre. Finally, the workers on the offshore oil rigs report that two weeks ago, a 15-18 foot white shark circled the platform for two days off and on looking for sea lions. The rig workers say they know when a shark is around because the sea lions refuse to leave the rig.

The Long Beach breakwall has been proving bass fishermen with copious amounts of calico and sand bass. Twilight trips remain good for sand bass, barracuda and an occasional big halibut up and down the coast.

Palos Verdes and Redondo have been red hot. There has been excellent calico bass fishing along the PV kelp forests, a new area of spawning market squid off Redondo and more barracuda off Marina de Rey.

 

Fish Talk Radio with Philip Friedman Outdoors; survivor Michael Ng from the Erik demands justice from Baja Mexico

   

Michael Ng was one of the lucky ones. He survived the sinking of the Erik and joined Philip on Fish Talk Radio for an emotional evening. Ng says the boat sank due to negligence, the crew did nothing to help the terrified passengers and talks about how the wall became the floor in a moments notice.

He also pleads with Mexico to locate the sunken ship so that the families of the missing can have some closure. The Mexican Navy claims that they do not have sonar capabilities beyond 60 meters and are not doing much to find the ill fated vessel.

Ng says there was no safety speech, no call for help, only life jackets for the crew. Hear Ng with Philip by clicking below as we are not going to forget the men who perished that July 4th morning of 2011.  

Listen to Michael Ng

To learn more about the missing, please go to www.FindourFathers.com

 

Twilight sand bass fishing breaks open; blue whales show in force (Video)

 

This weeks Patch Fishing Video Update was shot on boat a recent twilight trip on board the Native Sun out of Long Beach Sportfishing. These trips depart around 6 p.m. and return around 12 midnight. 

Sand bass fishing has been very good at night with many boats catching their 10 fish limits. There has been a strong current off Long Beach and San Pedro as well as other areas so it’s a very good idea to bring some 6-ounce torpedo sinkers along with you. Combine that with 12-15 lb. test and a lively anchovy, and you have a great chance of scoring some of these fine eating fish. 

Thresher shark fishing continued strong off Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, Long Beach and the Santa Monica Bay. 

Calico bass fishing is still excellent off Palos Verdes with an occasional white seabass and yellowtail. Calico bass fishing remains excellent around Laguna, Newport, and Corona del Mar anywhere you find rich kelp forests. 

Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach have been the scene of some excellent surf fishing. Mike Pazjk from Torrance has been scoring corbina barred perch and some other surf species around the Redondo and Hermosa Beach Piers. 

Finally a little good tuna news out of San Diego. The Cortez out of Seaforth Sportfishing reported catching 12 20-lb. class yellowfin tuna and 4 bluefin tuna. They were still over 150 miles from port. 

Finally, you’ll see the largest creature to ever inhabit the earth as we have footage of a blue whale surfacing next to the Christopher out of Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach.  

 

 

Dog takes a bite out of a shark. (Video)

This dog had his day near the West Australian town of Broome.  The dog seems to be herding several sharks towards the beach when it dives underwater and takes a bite out of a shark.

 

Sinkhole swallows up part of a bedroom in Guatemala (Video)

You talk about your nightmares. This was a pesadilla that a 65-year old Inocenta Hernandez will never forget as the the sinkhole opened up late Monday and swallowed up part of her bedroom. Hernandez was thank full that she lost only material things as her grandchildren had been playing in the same space where the hole in the ground suddenly manifested itself.

Sinkholes are formed by erosion; they can be gradual or sudden. Volcanic deposits in Guatemala make it especially susceptible to sinkholes.

 

Powerful Hurricane Dora moves away from Mexico

 
 Hurricane Dora intensified  into a powerful Category 4 storm with winds of 140 mph  Thursday as it moved past Mexico's southern Pacific coast.

It appears that Dora will stay far out to sea. The Mexican government discontinued tropical storm watches, but the strong waves generated by the hurricane brought a small lighthouse down about 35 miles (60 kilometers) east of Acapulco, on Wednesday.

About 60 thatch-roofed restaurants on beaches in the area, around La Penitas and La Bocana, were damaged or swept away by the storm.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the center of the hurricane was located about 500 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas. 

The fourth hurricane of the eastern Pacific season was moving northwest at about 13 mph (20 kph), and is forecast to stay offshore. It is forecast to gain strength  before weakening on Friday.

Wahoo Rhapsody gets 4 fins up. Book review by William Ebersman

 
With Wahoo Rhapsody, Shaun Morey has gone from writing about exceptional fishing events to writing an exceptional book about an interesting cast of very odd characters.  Atticus Fish, the hero and main character, is a lawyer hiding out from most of the world after having successfully sued all the major religious institutions for acts by God.

 Having gained a fortune from the lawsuit, he spends his time righting wrongs and protecting ocean wildlife in his unique fashion.  Dressed like a castaway from Robinson Crusoe, Atticus is forced to deal with unsavory characters to protect his friends and the land he has adopted as his new mother country.

Reminiscent of Fred Hoctor, Shaun Morey writes about the quirky characters found from San Diego down to Cabo San Lucas.  The action is paced well and located in familiar places.   This yarn is an easy read, and best enjoyed with a dark Modelo.  I rate it 4 fins up.

http://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-Rhapsody-Shaun-Morey/dp/1935597876

The sinking of the Erik in Baja. What is the missing part of the story? By William Ebersman

 
On July 3 , 2011, the Sportfisher Erik left San Felipe motoring down the Sea of Cortez for a planned one-week fishing trip.  They never made it.  

There are contradictory stories regarding wind conditions, the weather, and the condition of the boat.  What is known is that the boat sank, in 300 feet of water, most likely with seven American anglers whose bodies have yet to be recovered.  The Mexican Navy claims that they do not have the equipment needed to locate a 100 ton - 105 foot fishing vessel at that depth.  Either they are incompetent or covering something up.

 

 There are pangeros with battery-operated equipment on board sophisticated enough to find the Erik.  Hell, there are kayaks with equipment on board that can locate the Erik.  So, why can't the Mexican Navy find this boat?

My guess is that they simply don't want to.  I can't hazard a guess what the reason for their lack of action might be.

 

Recently, President Barack Obama made a request of Texas Governor Rick Perry to stop the execution of convicted rapist-murderer Humberto Leal Gonzalez because it would cause "irrevocable harm" to US interests.  

 

It is a well-known fact that Mexico will not extradite one of their citizens for a capital crime until the possibility of the death penalty is removed.  With a country that has such a reverence for life, how come 7 US families can't bury their dead?  I wonder if the lives of 7 U.S. citizens are of less value than one convicted murderer.  Check with President Obama on that one.

 

Another fact.  Grief councilors were provided by the Mexican government for the survivors.  This would have been useful if any of them spoke English.  Are there no bilingual grief councilors in the country of Mexico that were available?

 

By the way, where is California's Governor Jerry Brown?  I'd like to think that the Governor might have the best interests of its' citizens at heart.  Oh yeah, I guess the dead ones can't vote so they don't interest our governor.

 

The Mexican government requested that the survivors write down the facts of the accident.  These were then transcribed.  The facts of the accounts were so twisted that none of the survivors were willing to sign these accounts while in Mexico.  Accounts of the accident were provided to the US Consulate when the survivors were back in the U.S.

 

Another question.  On February 9, 2001 the 180-foot long Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru was sunk when the US Navy Submarine Greenville surfaced and cut the fishing vessel in half.  The Ehime Maru sank in 1800 feet of water.  Deemed too great a depth to do body recovery at, the Ehime Maru was moved to shallower water.  Eight of the missing fishermen's bodies were subsequently recovered.  Has this technology evaporated?

If the Mexican government is going to attempt to pass on the Big Lie regarding the Erik, then should we believe them when they say that the hundred of trucks coming into the US under NAFTA are in good shape?  Brakes functional, all air pollution standards being met, drivers of legal age and possessing a valid license?  Who is going to be responsible when a North-bound truck is involved in a fatal accident?  Can we even be sure that the truck's contents are what they are purported to be?

 

Recently, there's been some pangas found abandoned along the southern coast of California.  The smart money says that drugs and Mexican citizens are being smuggled in the U.S.  I guess if the U.S. and Mexican navies can't track a 25-foot boat on top of the water, there's little if any chance of finding a boat of any length under the water.  These are your Federal dollars at work.

  

Do I like the country of Mexico?  Yes.  Do I have great respect for their citizens?  Absolutely.  Will you find me fishing in anything in Mexico but a panga or superpanga where I'm only a few steps from the water?  Not unless it's a U.S.-registered fishing boat with Coast Guard inspection.

 

Am I angry?  Yes.  The U.S. government is afraid to rile Mexico.  How many dead bodies do you need to have for the U.S. government to consider it significant?

If you're mad, do something about it.  Write to the President.  Write to your local representative.  Let them know why you're unhappy.  The families of 7 dead U.S. citizens probably have.

So, here's a question for the Mexican government.  

With Remote Operation Vessels capable of independent movement in thousands of feet of water and a robust domestic oil-drilling program, why can't you borrow some equipment and operators for a day or so and find the Erik? 

 

 If that's too expensive, how about you hire a couple of guys with sharp eyes and binoculars. They can sit up on the cliffs and look for the oil slick that's going to be from the fuel leaking from the wreck.  Might take a few weeks but apparently there's no rush on Mexico's part.



Eco-friendly carrier pigeons deliver Jojo shoes to your door; (Video)

Jojo shoes has taken eco-friendly deliveries to an entirely new level using carrier pigeons to bring you your newly purchased shoes. The idea is to use the birds to reduce carbon emissions and still get your new shoes out to you.

Customer are asked to send a photo of their house with their order so the birds can study it and theoretically arrive at your home. They are then trained to tap on your window with their beaks to alert you as to the arrival of your new shoes.

Jojo is dedicated to making sure there is a light foot print on the environment. The shoes are made of natural cotton in eco- and worker-friendly conditions in China. For every purchase, the customer can choose between supporting planting trees in Africa and building water pumps in Sierra Leone.

So if you like what you see in Jojo shoes, and don't mind a little bird poop on your shoe box, keep your eyes toward the heavens for your special air mail delivery.

One can only wonder however, how PETA will feel about weighing down poor little birds for capital gain.