The mighty Whale Shark is awesome. Known as the largest fish species in the world the docile Whale Sharks spends the hotter months in Baja California. Their conservation status and limited numbers in the wild places them on the "Threatened" species list. The largest specimen is known to have reached 36 tons. But, unlike other shark species the Whale Shark is a mellow filter feeding giant who allows divers and snorkelers to swim freely at it's side. Because of this the Whale Shark is also known as the "Puppy Shark" or "Teddy Bear Shark" by some of the locals. We were fortunate enough to be able to swim with them in the past two visits to Bahia de Los Angeles and they really do live up to their name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMGI3rUmFA
Though you may never have heard of them, the little white Vaquitas are one of the rarest and certainly the smallest of all whale species. And guess what? They're endemic to Baja's Gulf of California (that means this is their only habitat in the world)!
They live in the northern part of the Gulf, where the waters are warm and the small fish are plenty. They have always been a rare species, with a low population and rather elusive behavior, so much so that to this day, some Baja fishermen claim they're only legend! This, however, is quite untrue. They have been around for quite a while, and in fact are now in trouble due to overfishing in the Gulf, water pollution, and reduction of water flow in the Colorado River. They also occasionally get caught in fishermens' gill nets.
The last survey in 2008 put their numbers at just 250 individuals, which is hardly enough to maintain a stable population. It looks like the Vaquitas are once again on the decline...
There are a few organizations which are working to protect the Vaquitas, one of which is Sonora's Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO), a non-profit research institute. We know these people personally and they're doing good work not just for the Vaquita, but also for the fisheries and ecosystems of the northern Gulf, from conducting coastal estuary conservation to working with cooperatives of fishermen to rotate their fishing grounds and manage the fisheries in a more holistic way. (You can visit CEDO in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, for a tour of their visitor center and to get more info about the local Gulf ecosystems!)
The Mexican government has also created a protected area where the highest concentration of Vaquitas is supposed to be, so that fishing is prohibited within this area. You can also visit Viva Vaquita, a non-profit website dedicated to raising awareness about the Vaquita's situation!
As much as we love turning off our computers and heading out into Baja's wildernesses, you have to admit that the Internet has some pretty interesting things to say, sometimes. Here's a small roundup of a few items that have caught my interest lately!
I totally sympathize with the author (Elisabeth Rosenthal) of this article! I do everything I can on a daily basis to make sure my Carbon footprint corresponds to the shoe-size of a newborn baby. And here at Gus Headquarters, we're always trying to think up new and old ways to keep our travel style Carbon neutral. But flying is one of the hardest habits to kick. How do you beat that kind of convenience?
Did you know that corn came from a Mexican grass called Teosinte? Apparently the early indigenous Mexicans were doing some pretty sophisticated breeding and domestication of the grass to get corn to the state it is today.
Okay, so this isn't technically an article, but check out these "high-resolution, life-size photographs of endangered whale species." Holy crap awesome. Make sure you read his "Bio" page. What a cool dude!
We're Baja Trek, home of Gus the Big Red Baja Beach Bus of Adventure.
Our goal is to have you on the bus even when you're not physically on the bus. We'll attempt to post newsy or semi-thoughtful items from our part of the world and others too, hopefully in a way that's relevant to our project and to you. Let's generate ideas together!
Feel free to comment on/complain about/praise any post and to send ideas and suggestions to us about things to cover. We're always looking for good guest posts, so if you have an idea, send it our way!
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