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CONANP, Mexico’s national protected areas commission, announced a plan to upgrade fishing camps on Espíritu Santo Island, the UNESCO World Heritage site roughly 25 kilometers north of La Paz. About 60 fishermen use camps on the island complex that have operated for more than 50 years, many in basic conditions with limited infrastructure. Funding will come through the GEF Pesca “From Hook to Plate” project, with additional support from the Baja California Sur state government.
The announcement follows an official visit to the island by the head of CONANP and the governor of Baja California Sur, who met with fishermen to hear their concerns. But the plan raises a question anyone who has kayaked or snorkeled at Espíritu Santo should consider: how do you improve living conditions for working fishermen on an ecologically fragile island that also draws tens of thousands of visitors each year?
36 Historical Camps Reduced to 20 Active Sites
Espíritu Santo and its smaller neighbor, Isla La Partida, together form the Espíritu Santo Island Complex. UNESCO inscribed the islands in 2005 as part of the “Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California” designation. The archipelago is home to sea lion colonies, blue-footed boobies, and reef systems that make it one of the most popular day-trip destinations in Baja California Sur.
No permanent population is registered on the islands. Yet fishermen have maintained a steady, rotating presence through seasonal camps. The area’s management plan records 36 historical fishing sites along the federal maritime-terrestrial zone. Today, only 20 retain any basic infrastructure. Roughly half of those 20 camps are in regular use by the approximately 60 fishermen who depend on the islands’ waters.
Current regulations restrict camp placement to six specific beaches: La Partida, El Empachado, La Dispensa, and La Gallina among them. Camp assignments follow agreements between fishermen and CONANP administrators. Those agreements honor traditional occupation patterns, meaning families who have fished the same coves for decades generally keep their spots. In exchange, fishermen must follow waste management rules, keep their camps clean, and participate in conservation activities.
This system has kept the island functional for both fishing and tourism. Tour operators from La Paz run daily snorkeling trips to the sea lion colony at Los Islotes and kayaking excursions along Espíritu Santo’s western shore. Those visitors typically don’t interact much with the fishing camps, which are concentrated on different beaches. But the two uses share the same fragile coastline.
GEF Pesca Project Funds Infrastructure on Six Permitted Beaches
The “From Hook to Plate” project (GEF Pesca, its Spanish acronym) is a fisheries sustainability initiative backed by the Global Environment Facility, an international funding mechanism that supports environmental projects in developing countries. The GEF has funded several marine conservation efforts in Mexico’s Gulf of California, including past work on sustainable shrimp trawling and bycatch reduction.
In this case, GEF Pesca money will go toward improving camp infrastructure. CONANP did not specify exact dollar amounts or a construction timeline, but the agency described the effort as part of a broader coordination among SEMARNAT (Mexico’s environment ministry), PROFEPA (the federal environmental enforcement agency), and CONAPESCA (the national fisheries commission). The Baja California Sur state government will also contribute resources.
The upgrades aim to give fishermen better working and living conditions while keeping camps within conservation rules. That could mean improved waste disposal systems, water storage, or shelter materials, though CONANP has not released detailed plans. The agency framed the initiative as supporting “sustainable livelihoods” for communities historically tied to the islands.
Tourist Access to the Island Is Not Expected to Change
If you book a snorkeling or kayaking trip to Espíritu Santo from the La Paz malecón, the upgrade plan should not affect your experience. Tour boats dock at designated visitor beaches, not at fishing camp sites. The six permitted camp beaches are managed separately from tourism landing zones.
Still, the long-term health of the island depends on how well both uses are managed. Espíritu Santo sees heavy visitor traffic from November through May, the peak season in La Paz. Camp infrastructure that reduces waste and environmental impact on the fishing side protects the same reefs and coastlines that draw snorkelers and divers.
The reduction from 36 historical camps to 20 functioning ones, and then to roughly 10 in active use, shows a decades-long contraction of the fishing presence. Better infrastructure could stabilize that number or slow the decline. It also gives CONANP more leverage to enforce conservation rules: camps that receive public investment come with clearer obligations.
CONANP said the official visit to Espíritu Santo was intended to address fishermen’s demands directly, though no specific timeline for construction or funding disbursement has been announced. This story was first reported by BCS Noticias.