August 10, 2014 — Ken Franke couldn’t explain it, but inexplicably, just as quick as Mexico closed its waters to bluefin fishing, it reopened them Sunday to recreational fishing.
Franke, who is president of the Sportfishing Association of California (SAC), said he received verbal permission from Mexico City to tell his sport boats to start hooking and keeping bluefin. Back in mid-July, Mexico, for no apparent reason, shut down bluefin fishing for both commercial and recreational fishing. Suspect environmental groups, using the usual junk science, had been rattling their alarmist calls that the Pacific bluefin population was down to 4 percent of its virgin stock. Franke has questioned the science. He offered solutions and that must have been enough for Mexico.