Will Ebersman is a graduate of Alfred University and co-host of Fish Talk Radio in Los Angles, California. He is a guest blogger on Phil Friedman Outdoors.
It's hard to stand up straight when you've shot yourself in both feet. Once again, the country of Mexico has managed to do the wrong thing. It's the timing that makes you wonder who's visited the tequila factory a few too many times. If you're interested in traveling to Mexico, you might want to reconsider that trip until the various parties stop hopping around. Please note, I didn't say boycott the country. I'm just suggesting a short break until some of the more recent issues have been clarified.
Mexico, after just having recently sprung the requirement for a tourist visa on unsuspecting visitors with little or no warning, has decided to re-evaluate their plans after meeting a firestorm of complaints and outrage. They organized a secret meeting on the visa issue. Then they announced the meeting and had all attendees take a vow of silence regarding the meeting's outcome. It sounds like either a really bad idea or a cover-up for something else. I'm voting for the stupidity factor because I don't think they're organized enough to pull off a cover-up.
In case you think I'm being harsh, this is also the country whose navy vessel recently boarded the fishing boat Malahini. Based out of San Diego, the Malahini captain took his crew and a number of passengers to fish the Coronado Islands. While in Mexican waters, they were boarded for a document inspection. After the passengers had shown their Mexican fishing licenses, and the boat had show all of their necessary paperwork, they were asked for their fishing permit. They couldn't produce one and were ordered to leave. The problem is that a boat fishing permit is not a requirement to fish in Mexican waters and hasn't been so for a number of years. There was no language problem. One of the Mexican navy men spoke excellent English. I'm told a passenger, speaking Spanish, also participated in the discussion.
The Malahini was the only vessel boarded and instructed to leave Mexican waters. The captain is out $1,500 for visas, the cost of his fuel, crew salary, bait, and rainchecks/refunds for his passengers. In this economy, this is a significant hit. I'm hoping this is just somebody not up to date on current Mexican regulations.
I'm not sure what SAC, the Sportfishing Association of California, is doing for their 200+ members but if I were paying them some of my fare money for various services, I'd be asking myself what I had been getting in return for my membership.
Anybody remember NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement? It was supposed to promote the trade of goods between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Not much has been happening with it due to a lack of legislation and regulation. I think that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Fast and Furious plan to track illegally-obtained weapons from Arizona and sold into Mexico shouldn't count. I think we can also eliminate the U.S.-bound flow of illegal narcotics and Mexican citizenry without benefit of travel documents and work visas, as well. The Canadians simply continue to be good neighbors to our north, eh?
It's no great surprise that tourism to Mexico is significantly down from years past. The U.S. 
economy and the press and news coverage detailing a stream of sensational stories and murders surely has not helped. It makes as much sense to get upset over a shooting in San Francisco as it does over an event near the Texas-Mexico border. What sense does it make to put roadblocks to tourism in place with little warning, and few, if any benefits, to the tourists?
I'm not racist. I love both Baja North and South. The people are gracious hosts. I love to travel fish and eat in the country. I have no fears about traveling there. I am concerned about the bureacrats down there and their next move.
The Mexicrats of Mexico are out of feet to shoot. Hopefully, they'll come to their senses before somebody gets knee-capped.
