Page 290 - Mexico Diving From the Caribbean to Pacific Isles

A s part of this process, the East Pacific region also has a rich history as a commercial political consensus on this issue of conserva-
Rise propagated up the middle of the fishery. Changes in terrestrial ecology, such as tion of the Gulf. This occurs even though sig-

Gulf along the seabed. This extension of the the vast reduction in flow from the Colorado nificant areas are a UNESCO World Heritage

East Pacific Rise is often referred to as the River into the Gulf, have negatively affected Site. The thousands of miles of coastline are

Gulf of California Rift Zone. The Gulf would fisheries, particularly in the northern region. remote and difficult to police. Conservation

extend as far as Indio, California, except for The Gulf of California sustains a large number of the Gulf ’s fisheries and coastlines is also

the tremendous delta created by the Colo- of marine mammals, many of which are rare complicated by a long history of overcapi-

rado River. This delta blocks the sea from and endangered. Its more than 900 islands talization in the sector, and the direct, often

flooding the Mexicali and Imperial Valleys. are important nesting sites for thousands of negative, impacts that conservation measures

Volcanism dominates the East Pacific Rise. seabirds, and its waters are primary breeding, have on the livelihoods of Mexico’s coastal

T he narrow sea is home to a unique and rich feeding, and nursing grounds for myriad mi- inhabitants. Coastal communities are highly
ecosystem. In addition to a wide range of gratory and resident fish species. For decades, reliant on both commercial and sport fishing,
the gulf has been a primary source of two of including San Felipe, San Carlos, Sonora, Cabo

endemic creatures and many migratory spe- Mexico’s leading marine resources, sardines San Lucas, La Paz, Loreto and Mulegé. The

cies, such as the humpback whale, California and anchovies. Water pollution is a problem in well-developed shrimp and sardine fleets of

gray whale, killer whale, manta ray, Humboldt the Gulf of California, but the more immediate Mazatlán, on the Mexican mainland’s Pacific

Squid and leatherback sea turtle, and the concerns are overfishing and bottom trawling, coast, heavily exploit the commercial fisher-

world’s largest animal, the blue whale. The which destroys eelgrass beds and shellfish. ies of the southern Gulf. The salinity of the wa-

unusual resident populations of fin whales ter of the Northern Gulf of California is gen-
and sperm whales do not migrate annually. erally higher than the Central and Southern
fforts by the Mexican government to faunal regions due to the increased amount
EThis region has historically been a magnet create conservation zones and nature

for world-class sport fishing activities, with reserves have been hampered by lack of en- of evaporation that occurs in that region.

a rich history of sporting world records. The forcement resources, as well as a lack of a