A fisherman has died near the small town of San Felipe, Baja California, after his small boat crashed with a conservation ship last week. The man’s death occurred during one of a series of violent clashes between poachers and conservationists working in the Sea of Cortez to protect a small endangered porpoise.
Mario Garcia Toledo, 56, died of injuries from the crash that split the small boat in two. Another man remains hospitalized, in critical but stable condition.
"The one responsible for all of this disorder is the Mexican government," said Ramon Franco Diaz, head of a San Felipe fishermen's cooperative. "They've done nothing. They know what's happening, so I don't know why they don't step in."
He said the Mexican government’s refusal to crack down on rampant poaching — instead placing harsher restrictions on legal fishing in the region — has created chaos in the Upper Gulf of California that has erupted in growing violence and lawlessness.
Advertising