Baja catch o' the day

I have spent many months in Baja California, MX over the last few years, documenting the shark and ray fisheries along the Pacific coast. Unlike the U.S., these types of fisheries are largely unregulated, and located in fairly remote and inaccessible places. Fishing for sharks and rays is a mainstay of the coastal economy, yet these animals do not have to be fished very hard before one begins to see population declines, and once numbers are down they are very slow to rebound.

This shot shows a fisherman with a days catch of about 500 animals, mostly shovelnose guitarfish (a type of ray). The reason they can fish so many animals consistently is because there is relatively little fishing pressure in the more remote locations. That will all change if people like Trump have their way and eventually develop all of coastal Baja, destroying it in the process... The key to letting the traditional fishers of Baja continue their way of life is to develop sustainable fishing strategies.