Mexican fisherman dies after explosive clash with porpoise conservationists
- The conservationists were removing illegal fishing nets in the Gulf of California when they were attacked by fishermen armed with explosives
- Conservationists have been attacked on a number of occasions while patrolling a refuge for the vaquita, the world’s smallest species of porpoise
A Mexican fisherman has died after his vessel collided with a boat of the US conservation group Sea Shepherd in a sanctuary for the endangered vaquita porpoise, an official said Monday.
The fisherman was hospitalised on December 31 in the northwestern city of Mexicali with serious injuries including hip and pelvic fractures, said regional health chief Alonso Perez. A second fisherman is in a stable condition, he said.
According to the Mexican navy, the Sea Shepherd conservationists were collecting fishing nets in the Sea of Cortez “when they were attacked by fishermen with handmade explosive devices”.
Sea Shepherd said that fishermen throwing Molotov cocktails attacked its vessels Farley Mowat and Sharpie, which were working with Mexican authorities to remove illegal nets.
It said that as the Farley Mowat tried to leave the area, one of the fishing boats “aggressively swerved” in front of the former US Coast Guard vessel, crashing into its hull and splitting in two.
The dead fisherman’s family, however, accused the Sea Shepherd vessel of intentionally ramming his boat.
It issued a plea on social media that his death “does not go unpunished.”