How and why Orgcas Started

The summer of 2021 was a great season for sharks; large schools could be seen in the near Isla Cerralvo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. However, only a few days remained before the annual shark and ray fishing ban ended and the fishing season for this species began. A group of female friends dedicated to conservation were dining at a restaurant, discussing the importance of sharks for the ocean. They recognized the potential around their table: photographers, biologists, communicators, lawyers, guides and educators. They realized that their unity would be powerful because of the strength of their diversity.

Determined to address the situation, the group grabbed their cameras and, with no money but a common purpose, arrived in the fishing village of Agua Amarga. Although this community of less than 500 inhabitants does not border the sea, it holds a large number of shark fishing permits. Despite not being an official nongovernmental organization yet, the team was convinced that action was necessary. The team started engaging with shark fishermen to understand the problem and search for solutions.

"We knew that artisanal fishermen are not the main culprits in the disappearance of sharks. We wanted to dispel the negative image of coastal fishermen. They are not killers; they are people who work with dignity, legally and using generational knowledge. They are connected to nature from birth, protecting what they have because it is all they have. They are naturalists. What we did in Orgcas was to take those values and devise solutions from that root," says Porfiria Gomez, director of the nonprofit organization.

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The Importance of Community

The Baja California peninsula is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California, creating a unique environment that hosts a rich diversity of sea life, including whales, orcas, manta rays and thousands of invertebrates. Known internationally as a natural sanctuary, Jacques Cousteau famously dubbed it "the aquarium of the world." Near this peninsula lies Isla Cerralvo, the area where Orgcas has focused its work, with the community of Agua Amarga as its key allies. Thanks to their experience and traditional knowledge, these fishermen help Orgcas gain a deeper understanding of the region.

Sharks are ecologically indispensable. They maintain ecosystem balance by feeding on sick individuals and invasive species. They are known as the doctors of the sea. However, only 10 percent of the hammerhead shark population in Baja California remains. Shark fishing is becoming increasingly difficult. Fishermen must venture farther out, face higher gas expenses and deal with decreasing demand. The future of this activity looks grim.

"What I liked most about Orgcas is that they came to talk and offered tourism as an option, not an obligation. For us, seeing a shark meant killing it and bringing it up. But now, I've also gone to study and release sharks, which was new to me. For the first time, I have the experience of offering snorkel and dive tours, taking people out to see marine life," says Pancho Lucero, one of the fishermen working on the project.

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What Orgcas Has Achieved So Far

Before starting any research, Orgcas considers the fishermen's sea experience, compares it with existing studies, and develops a strategy. To learn more about where sharks live and what they eat, the scientific team has collected over 450 tissue samples and trained fishermen to tag sharks.

To understand the species distribution patterns, they have deployed 92 baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS), a system of video cameras that attract sharks with bait to record their presence. The fishermen allow Orgcas to use their fishing buoys to submerge the BRUVS and assist in assembling them. Around the island, Orgcas has also installed seven temperature sensors to record annual changes and conducted the first environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling on Isla Cerralvo, discovering that this area is home of more than 3,000 marine species.

In collaboration with a company specializing in underwater drones, Orgcas has mapped the island's unexplored seafloor. Its goal is to explore depths of up to 656 feet to identify underwater canyons and seamounts that could serve as key areas for fishing, shark research, and conservation.

In addition to contributing to scientific publications, Orgcas’ communication and education team is sharing the project's results and importance in a way that is comprehensive and inspiring to a wider audience.

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So far, they have conducted more than 40 workshops in local communities, created educational events for kids, visited schools and universities, participated in national and international conferences, given local talks, carried out digital outreach and recently launched a project that integrates education with scuba diving.

Frida Lara, scientific coordinator, concludes with compelling statistics, "We estimate that with each tourism and science trip, six to 10 sharks are saved from being fished. Since we started, we’ve conducted over 100 trips, and according to our calculations, more than 1,170 sharks have been spared from fishing. Our goal is for shark fishermen to earn the same or even more income than they do from fishing, and to understand that sharks are worth more alive than dead.”