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Description
Isla Natividad is a small fishing community off the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, México. A lease from the Mexican government allows them exclusive rights over the waters surrounding their island. They are part of a successful fishing cooperative, la Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Buzos y Pescadores that sells their seafood on the international market. Isla Natividad is an island of fishermen.
Like many small fishing communities worldwide, Isla Natividad is concerned with climate change, diminishing fish populations, and the increased effort required to get their product to market. They also worry about their children's futures on an island with few work opportunities.
Isla Natividad is part of a federally protected area, la Reserva de la Biosfera el Vizcaino, so the town's footprint cannot expand, and the number of residents is limited to around 400. As members retire, they must leave the island and return to the mainland. If the children of current members are not interested in working in the fishing industry, they must pursue employment elsewhere.
A small group was formed to bring eco-tourism to the island. This film, through interviews, explores the island's desire to open up to new avenues of employment while giving voice to community fears of losing its essence. Isla Natividad allows the residents of Isla Natividad to tell their own story.
For More Information
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
