Claiming ancient tribal rites, the Cucapah fishing community has a long running battle with Federal Mexican authority over Gulf Corvina fishing in the northern Sea of Cortez. Federal authorities confiscate 9 tons of gulf corvina from a Cucapah fishing village, ammounting to three days harvest. The Gulf Corvina species is under pressure of extinction and fishing for the species is prohibited from may through August, the species spawning season. In a failure to accept that times have changed and the species has been fished to near extinction, the locals persist in fishing the northern Sea well into mid July. The northern Sea, once a bountiful marine environment has been fished so clean that comemrcial operations have all but ceased in the region. Increased Mexican Navy and Fisheries enforcment is expected in the area before the middle of June.
Northwest Mexico Showdown on Indigenous Fishing Rights