Page 403 - Mexico Diving From the Caribbean to Pacific Isles
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en months of the year the 30 families nearly extinct by 1844. The northern el- over, the population eventually eliminated
ephant seal was also ruthlessly hunted for most vegetation; the number of goats de-
T of the fishing cooperative “Abuloneros the oil in its blubber. They were thought to clined to a few thousand. After the crash,
be extinct in 1884 until a remnant popula- the goat population once again grew, this
and Langosteros of Guadalupe Island” are tion of eight individuals was discovered time more slowly, until it had reached the
present. At the southern tip, on Melpómene on Guadalupe Island in 1892 by a Smith- new, lower carrying capacity at maybe
Cove, there is a weather station staffed by sonian expedition, who promptly killed 10,000–20,000 in modern times. The island
a detachment from the Mexican Ministry of seven of them for their collections. The had been a nature conservancy area since
the Navy. The site is called Campamento Sur elephant seals managed to survive, and August 16, 1928, making it one of the old-
(“South Encampment”). Campo Bosque was were finally protected by the Mexican gov- est reserves in Mexico. Eradication of the
established as a temporary camp in 1999 in ernment in 1922. All surviving northern el- goats was long envisioned, but logistical
the cypress forest in the north. The camp ephant seals share the same male ancestor. difficulties such as island size and lack of
houses members of the Cooperative Farm- suitable spots for landing and encamping
ing Society “Francisco Javier Maytorena, S.C. G uadalupe shares the California chapar- hunters and material prevented this. As of
of R.L.” and removes goats from the island ral and woodlands ecoregion with the June 2005, after many years of false starts,
and sells them in the State of Sonora, with Channel Islands of California in the United the Mexican government has almost com-
permission of Secretariat of the Environment States, but the island was at one time prac- pleted a round-up and evacuation of the
and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT ) and tically denuded of all plants higher than remaining goat population and Guadalupe
the support of the Secretariat of the Navy. a few centimeters by up to 100,000 feral has been designated a biosphere reserve.
goats. Originally brought there in the early
G uadalupe Island was a major destina- 19th century by primarily Russian whalers
tion for Russian and American fur hunt- and sealers for provisions when stopping
ers seeking the Guadalupe fur seal in the
18th and 19th centuries, until they were
