By Shari Bondy ViaBaja.com

Central Baja California Sur is famous for it's successful commercial fishing industry and the stars of the show are the high quality red lobster and abalone we have in bountiful numbers here. The fishing cooperatives are very proud of their stewardship of the species they fish and they have won international awards for sustainability. They take very good care of their fisheries, strictly adhering to seasonal quotas and size limits. They also have an excellent vigilancia program that entails patrolling the beaches and ocean to keep poachers at bay. This 24/7 patrol makes the area very safe for camping and travelling in remote areas.

Lobster season begins in October and ends the last day of February when there are big lobster feasts in the fish camps to celebrate the closing of the season. The fresh lobsters are trucked to Ensenada where they are flown to Asian markets. Visitors to this area enjoy eating nice fresh lobster in the local restaurants.

The fishing cooperative "California de San Ignacio" in Bahia Asuncion, which was established in 1939 with only 45 members, now has 125. The processing plant was built in 1978 and now exports 70 tons each season of red lobster and 22 tons of green abalone. They also can and export caracoles or sea snails and produce 43 tons or 2,112 cases of 24 cans each as well as six tons of processed sea cucumber. Other products include white fish, crab, frozen sardines and yellowtail.

Our cooperative employs about 725 people and is an important economic generator for the village along with the other cooperative in town.

Here on the central coast we are fortunate to be able to eat fresh lobster from October to the end of February. We had our last lobster dinners and are now anxiously awaiting the start of abalone season (April) for more great seafood meals!

Shari Bondy owns La Bufadora Inn in Bahia Asuncion, a great place to stay and play!

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