Mexico

Mexico’s arid Baja Peninsular stretches south from the US border in California, dividing the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. Since author John Steinbeck first documented his expedition here in 1940 with the ecologist Ed Ricketts, these two seas (‘Dos Mares’) have inspired marine biologists, who admire and study the rich biodiversity that surrounds Baja.

Biologists are not the only people to have taken note. Industrial fishing for tuna, marlin, sardines and sharks has taken its toll, and today the seas have been stripped of much of the life that existed 80 years ago.   

Mexico’s arid Baja Peninsular stretches south from the US border in California, dividing the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. Our goal in Mexico is to protect the seas around the north-western state of Baja California Sur with ‘Dos Mares’ – a marine protected area (MPA) of 200,000 sq km that regulates industrial fishing and promotes sustainable fishing and tourism. Blue Marine’s local NGO partners, Orgcas, have collected a huge amount of scientific data to inform the justification of the MPA. Fishers and tourism operators in Baja have sent more than 300 official letters of support to the Ministry, and a new small-scale fisheries commission, DEPESCA, lobbies the government relentlessly. Baja’s artisanal shark-fishing communities have mostly transitioned to tourism.  

In 2023, the small-scale fishers formed an association called DePesca. Through this they have a voice and are using it to put pressure on the authorities to protect the resources that they rely on for their existence. Fishers are transitioning from shark fishing to tourism, speaking out against illegal netting, and working with conservationists to identify key biodiversity areas that can be highly protected within the borders of the Dos Mares MPA. 

A new government took office in October 2024, and the project was presented to decision makers with the political narrative as ‘improving the prosperity of coastal communities’. There is political backing for the designation of MPAs if there is support from most local stakeholders. Socialisation results show 60-70 per cent support from fishing communities, and almost complete support from tourism operators.  

In 2025 we will: continue advocacy work with senior politicians and the state government; garner stakeholder support for designation of a large, highly protected MPA around Baja; establish an advisory committee with leading scientists and institutions in the region; establish a baseline study before designation and increase pressure on the government to protect 30 per cent of Mexico’s seas, in line with global sustainability goals.