7/2/07
Another vessel seized - Nom029 fails again
Mon, 2007-07-02 19:27. News

Another vessel seized - Nom029 fails again


On Sunday the Mexican Navy seized another apparently vessel fishing illegally under the cover of the new shark Nom-029. The 70 foot TELE, owned by the Pesquera Garcia Company and fishing out of Puerto Penasco, Sonora was taken into custody while fishing 30 miles off East Cape. The vessel, legally permitted, was fishing drift gill nets in excess of the 1000 meters allowed by Nom-029. Eighty-eight sharks, 43 marlin and as many as 20 giant manta rays were in the hold when it was seized. "Again we are seeing a real life example of the inherent flaws in Nom-029," said TBF's fisheries scientist Dr. Russell Nelson, "the billfish catch was the main money on this trip and the giant manta rays were slaughtered under a plan intended to protect sharks and rays in Mexico - we can only guess what is happening in other waters not currently benefiting from increased scrutiny by the Mexican Navy."