May 1, 2023

When this ridiculous and absurd deployment of hooked concrete blocks was first proposed, I told both Sea Pretenders and the Mexican government it was a really stupid idea. The hooks designed to snare nets render the nets into ghost nets, posing a real danger to the Vaquita and other marine life. There is only one solution to this problem, and that is to search out and confiscate illegally set nets, something we were doing very efficiently up until the end of 2020, when Mexico and Sea Pretenders ended the net confiscation campaign. From 2015 to the end of 2020, we confiscated some 150,000 meters of illegally set net and if that had not been done the Vaquita would now be extinct. 

Now these hooks are not being monitored. Nets are being set while Sea Pretender crew watch and do nothing but call for help from the Mexican Navy, that sometimes come and sometimes not, and when they do, they politely ask the poachers to move on – for a few hours.

Mexico is pretending to address the problem, but the Mexican government is not very enthusiastic about the Vaquita’s survival. They could be, and should be, in the Vaquita reserve 24/7 if they took the threat of extinction seriously.  Having Sea Pretenders there watching allows Mexico to say to the world, “Hey look, this famous NGO is supporting us and we allow them to pretend to be making a difference so they can raise donations.” S$CS pats their back and Mexico pats the back of S$CS.

Note: I am not being petty calling them “Sea Pretenders” or S$CS. I am simply not allowed to use the actual name because they are suing me and they claim they have a trademark on the name and I cannot use it.