Lonely Planet Guatemala (Travel Guide) by Lonely Planet & Lucas Vidgen & Daniel C Schechter

Author:Lonely Planet & Lucas Vidgen & Daniel C Schechter [Planet, Lonely & Vidgen, Lucas & Schechter, Daniel C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Published: 2013-06-30T21:00:00+00:00

THE ONE THAT DIDN’T GET AWAY

Somewhere between five and 40 miles off the coast of Iztapa, chances are that right now a sportfisher is hauling in a billfish. This area is recognized as one of the world’s top sportfishing locations – the coastline here forms an enormous, natural eddy and scientists who have studied the area have concluded this might be the largest breeding ground for Pacific sailfish in the world.

Catches of 15 to 20 billfish per day are average throughout the year. During high season (October to May) this number regularly goes over 40.

Guatemala preserves its billfish population by enforcing a catch-and-release code on all billfish caught. Other species, such as dorado and tuna, are open game, and if you snag one, its next stop could well be your frying pan.

If you’d like lessons, or you’re looking for an all-inclusive accommodation-and-fishing package, check www.greatsailfishing.com.

Fish here run in seasons. There’s fishing all year round, but these are the best months:

May to October For dorado

June to September For roosterfish

September to December For marlin

September to January For yellowfin tuna

October For sea bass

October to May For sailfish

As in any part of the world, overfishing is a concern in Guatemala. The prime culprits here, though, are the commercial fishers, who use drag netting. Another concern, particularly for inland species and shrimp, is the practice of chemical-intensive agriculture. Runoff leeches into the river system, decimating fish populations and damaging fragile mangrove ecosystems.

It’s estimated that Guatemala’s Pacific coast has lost more than 90% of its original mangrove forests. The mangroves serve as nurseries for fish and shellfish and the trees maintain water quality and prevent erosion. They also provide food and income for local populations, but all along the Pacific coast, commercial shrimp farming is moving in. Over the past decade, commercial shrimp farms have consumed about 5% of all the remaining mangroves in the world.

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