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November 2005

Tale of a Tall Fish
By Juan C Tapia

The lines at the only bank in San Felipe are long and slow. Cashing or paying bills, gets you the chance to be in the midst of a bunch of people slowly descending into desperation. I sigh and manage a smile hoping to enjoy the experience when I spot the friendly face of Tony Reyes himself, standing in the line reserved for big-wigs only. As he is thumbing thru a brick of pesos, he tells me about this trip to fish Totoaba for a week, and that he has a place on one of his boats for someone from The Net, so I jump to attention and go: "aye aye, sir" with my hand up in the air sir! I’m your guy! Not really feeling I have a chance to be the chosen one, but since I have a vacation due me and would want nothing else in the world than to be on a trip to the "Islas Encantadas" (The Enchanted Islands) aboard one of Tony's boats, specially after the many great fish stories I've heard about these trips and the photos I’ve seen of the Coast of the soon to become, the 5th  municipality of Baja California.

            Thanks to this chance meeting with Tony who then patiently puts up with my efforts to convince him of my nautical skills and journalistic know how, and how I wish I'd be the one to go. Tony has yet to announce the up coming trip to the brass at The Net and when he does, brass and staff agree: I'd be the one going to be sea sick since no one else can make the trip this time, they all fortunately conclude.

            Next thing I'm boarding the SFS José Andrés. Sea bag on my shoulder, sharp hand salute to stern as I clear the gangplank and at about 16:00 hours, we get underway from San Felipe into the growing darkness on the Sea of Cortez.

Quarter moon coming soon I think, as I stand tall at the rail feeling the crisp November sea breeze in the back of my face, while looking aft at the preparations going on for the great Totoava catch to start in about 8 hours at the bay in San Luis Gonzaga... HEY WAIT! WHAT AM I DOING HERE? HELP! FISHING TOTOAVA IS VERBOTEN! you could be fined millions of pesos and thrown into a clinker room for life if caught. But, Aw what the heck! What is life with out a little risk and excitement, how often do I get a chance like this, to spend my vacation aboard a boat with a bunch of fish. What if we -we Kemo-Sabe?- catch a two meter specimen and eat it before we're busted, I'm thinking, when I see the leader of the expedition, who is a red-headed Mexican scientist with a funny name.

Gerardo Sandoval, Norberto Castro, Ivan Monay, Conal David and Roman Ponce

They are Conal David True, who heads a team of 3 oceanologists from the “Unidad de Biotecnología en Piscicultura, Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, (Biotechnology in Fish Studies Unit at the Marine Science School) UABC's Campus in Ensenada, along with two other fishing experts, all of them working hard to keep alive a project to breed Totoavas in captivity, then releasing the young fish back to their natural stomping seas to help repopulate the species and remove it from the endangered list.

Along is John Chow, expert fisherman from The Longfin in Orange County, and they are all here to help in the conservation effort, and hopefully for the benefit of the sport for those who like to spend good money to be able to realize their fishing thrills..

This adventure has the support of the University of Baja California, the Federal, State and the Municipal government and even though they are maneuvering under a very tight budget, Conal has managed to devise and build a facility in the Oceanology Dept. in Ensenada, to develop a very successful operation for the benefit of the Totoava MacDonaldi species and, in the bargain, help the equilibrium of the biosphere area that this and other endangered species call home.  Check the following URL:                http://www.mexfish.com/mexi/mexi/af030714/af030714.htm.

            First day at the sight chosen to yield a ton of the big fish. It is a beautiful, sunny and warm one at the San Francisquito Cove on the south side of Gonzaga Bay, where the José Andrés lays at anchor. The two pangas loaded with the avid fishermen and their kits, are underway. I choose to stay aboard. My nature impedes me to fish or hunt, as I am reluctant to harm any living species for what ever reasons (except for those red and black little ants in my pantry). I get my fish as tacos and ceviche tostadas at Conchita’s on the malecon in San Felipe, gracias.

              Actually, the water at the cove was so smooth and inviting that I wanted to jump in for a swim, rather than bounce around all day in a skiff on the open, choppy waters of the sea. My job was to record not the actual catching of the fish but I figured I’d be on the next try anyway, since they had figured to catch their allotment of Totoavas in about three days.

            Meanwhile, I checked things aboard. From the abundant, great food served at the galley by two Jesuses (the cookie and his young helper) and the rest of the crew: Fily, Ramon and Carlos, who would get into chatting bows in the old typical Baja fishermen slang so fast, even I could not understand what they were talking about. For instance; a chat with the skipper Cruz Cisneros, aka “El Borrego” (The Ram), tells the story of back in 1974 when he survived from a wreck caused by hurricane Liza that had him adrift at sea for 3 days, then was found out in the deserted beaches north around El Chinero -but that is another story.

Fili “Iceman” Espinoza, filleting tonight's dinner

The crew of the SFS José Andrés: Skipper Cruz, Fily, Jesus, Ramon, John Chow
famous fisherman and Carlos. Absent: cookie Jesus Valdéz.

 

The pangas stayed out all morning, with Ramon Davis and Carlos as guides. No Totoava in sight, but Gerardo did manage to catch a large corvina type fish the crew calls “cavicucho”, and enough fish for a swell dinner cooked to perfection. Afterwards, great conversation including mention of the size of the Totoava that got away.

Nov. 21, another picture perfect day at the bay. People would do right to book a voyage on one of these boats, if only to enjoy the scenery and the food and service you get with Tony Reyes’s people. As for fishing, they know all the right moves, tricks and places for your enjoyment. Except this time though, Conal David’s effort to bag the elusive Totoava on the second attempt this day proves fruitless.  Notwithstanding the fact that this time, I’m on the panga at his request.

Gerardo Sandoval with his Cavicucho

Stern faced, the sea warriors begin to show wear as they return from yet another empty run and to hastily map out new sites reported to be fertile with animals of the size they are after.

            We get underway from San Francisquito Bay, and wake up to smell the bacon frying and fresh coffee brewing. The sea is covered with a thick blanket of clouds and as the morning clears I’m facing a big wall of granite protruding from the water almost at a straight angle, it seems. The guys go at it again for about the fifth time. The anchor comes up and we round the rock where we were parked as the pangas were deployed out to sea.

As we do, we come into view of the five Islands of Las Encantadas and I can see the reason for their name. I spend most of my time topside on the observation deck checking the barren beauty of Isla Salvatierra, the biggest of all, then there’s El Choyudo, El Choyudito, Isla Poma, El Coloradito and Isla del Muerto (Dead Man’s Island), because this rock looks like a laying corpse when viewed from the sea. As we wait for the pangas to return, Skipper Cruz maneuvers the José Andrés so near some of the Islands, almost making me feel he is doing this for my benefit, for I get a great and lasting view from my vantage point on the deck.

So far the “Chamorro” (Totoava in the local fishermen lingo) has been elusive, despite the careful preparations carried out and the expertise of guides and fishermen involved. Conal and crew have conducted and made possible the recovery program and have been on this rout before, They have 17 fertile animals in their Ensenada facility and the females stay busy laying eggs all year.  They have already returned a sizeable number of babies back into the waters of the Biosphere to the north, near the mouth of the once plentiful Colorado River waters, so favorable to the existence of some endemic species found only this northernmost side of the Sea of Cortez.

            I felt obligated to say something compassionate to try and ease Conal David’s frustration and I remembered that back in the month of August, the José Andrés ran into a school of dead fish floating grotesquely on the surface, their bladders, bloated with air, coming out of their mouths. They speak of at least 10 tons worth. They are Totoava purportedly chased from the bottom by pilot whales that later fed on them at their leisure. I argued that since there were so many killed, he should be patient and keep the faith. I told him we should give thanks that we’ve had really nice days in such great surroundings and I’m having a mystical experience and a great time. He pays no attention to my ramblings, and heads off to the galley to bury his gloom under a mound of shrimp being served for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. I quickly follow.

Hundreds of dead Totoava floating on the Sea of Cortez in Bahia de Los Angeles

Conal David and some in his crew seemed a bit perturbed by my presence, feeling like I’m there to report what he conceives as failure; but watching all their activity and hard work, I only have admiration for the perseverance and professionalism with which they pursue their endeavor. And as Tony Reyes later put it: “fishing is not like harvesting a crop of fruit, fish are there but you just don’t go out and pick them” -or something to that effect.

The 30 year ban on Totoava fishing has not dampened consumer interest. Therefore the government’s efforts are not only for conservation, but to avail the resource for sustainable exploitation in the near future.

The trip ends after trying for one last time in front of the waters of Punta Estrella in the Bay of San Felipe, where a numerous cloister of pangas full of avid fishermen tangle their lines on each other’s gear and on an artificial reef formed by tons of discarded automobiles underwater, where fish like to go and party. Skipper “Borrego” and I agree we should write up a proposal to get all the junked cars adorning the sides of the roads from here to Mexicali, and sink them here or elsewhere for the benefit of the sport of fishing while removing those eye sores from the sides of the landscape some of us so dearly enjoy.

Conal David True announces a future attempt and invites The Net to their Ensenada facilities to check up in detail and real time their operation.

Back in SF Bay, no slow moving lines to wait in, as the Jose Andres heads towards the pier to a space big enough to park a VW Beetle, and the boat is coming in doing about 60 knots a minute! As we grit our teeth, Skipper Cruz applies the brakes and smoothly maneuvers in between two other vessels without making even a ripple, then he smiles as he tells us that his more than 40 years behind the wheel ought to make the difference.

I sigh in relief and manage a smile definitely enjoying the experience when I spot the friendly faces of Tony Reyes Sr. and Tony Jr. who now, should be proud to be a very important part of such a great effort and can rest easy knowing that some day soon, they will be taking tourists to fish the teeming waters of the gulf to catch the gigantic, delicious Totoavas as they did 30 some years ago, that is, if the University, the Government of Mexico and everybody else interested in making history, supports the next attempt to stock Conal’s fish bowls with fertile Totoavas. And yes, aye aye sir! I hope to be there too, to try and tell you all about the great catch we –we Kemo Sabe?- will bring ashore.

 

 

Me, bringing one ashore some time ago…

 

November 2005 San Felipe

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