FOX ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES FACE TEST IN BAJA CALIFORNIA & SONORA CASES.

The shores of Baja California and Sonora have become the testing ground for President Vicente Fox's commitment to protect the environment, especially the region's marine life. In recent weeks, the administration has faced two separate controversies involving regulations on shark fishing and

The controversy regarding the shark-fishing regulations created a temporary split among members of Fox's Cabinet. The issue came to the forefront after a host of environmental organizations and some elected officials denounced efforts by Agriculture Secretary Javier Usabiaga Arroyo to quietly implement a new policy that would have allowed commercial shark fishing inside an area previously off limits to such activity.

The new policy was published in the federal register (Diario Oficial de la Federacion) on July 12 and was to become effective on Sept. 12 but was suspended because of strong opposition.

In the published decree, the Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentacion (SAGARPA) said the new guidelines were beneficial for Mexico because the government would now be able to dictate policies on shark fishing, which was previously unregulated.

Administration rescinds shark-fishing policy

The publication of the shark-fishing policy drew an outcry from the environmental community and from elected officials like Baja California Sur Gov. Leonel Cota Montano and Sen. Veronica Velasco of the Partido Verde Ecologista Mexicano (PVEM). Also joining the opposition were Environment Secretary Victor Lichtinger and Tourism Secretary Leticia Navarro Ochoa.

Critics said the new guidelines were too lenient and failed to consider the impact on other marine life in the area. They said equipment used by the shark-fishing industry, which consists of wide gill nets and long fishing lines, threatened many other marine species that live just offshore, including dolphins, sea turtles, and several species of game fish like marlin and sailfish.

Usabiaga was criticized for attempting to enact the decree without much public discussion, leading to charges that the plan was promoted by the commercial shark-fishing industry. "What private interests seek to benefit from this action?" Sen. Velasco asked Usabiaga during the agriculture secretary's recent testimony before Congress.