Greater interagency coordination; a permanent official presence within the fishing grounds; respect for fishermen’s rights; fulfillment of government obligations; honest and prompt responses to concerns; an end to corruption; and direct communication with communities: these are the demands on government by security personnel from fishing communities in the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur.

The demands were outlined in a declaration to authorities, agreed upon at The Meeting of Community Security Forces within Protected Natural Marine Areas of the Baja California Peninsula.  The meeting was held on Thursday February 9 in the Gray Whale Interpretive Center located at Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon’s Lagoon) in Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur.

The participants agreed that inspection and security are insufficient, inefficient and ineffective because of: the lack of economic, human, and material resources; the absence of interagency coordination; limited community participation; and infrequent communication between authorities and the production sectors.

The meeting was held in response to the fishermen’s demand for improved resource monitoring in their regions, and with the goal of promoting the exchange of ideas and experiences.

It was supported by the National Commission on Natural Protected Areas through the offices of the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve and the Bahía de los Ángeles, Canales de Ballenas y de Salsipuedes Biosphere Reserve, as well as from the San Lorenzo Archipelago National Marine Park, the Gulf Islands Flora and Fauna Protected Area, and Pronatura Noroeste, A. C.

Participating were security personnel from communities near Laguna Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio on the north Pacific coast of Baja  California,  and Bahía de los Ángeles  in Baja  California.  They