The Gray Whales come to mate and calve in Mexico's Baja California lagoons"Saving the Gray Whale", by Serge Dedina, tells their story in understandable language.
Dedina's description of the fishing families who struggle to survive amongst them makes the drama all the more compelling.
At San Ignacio Lagoon, the fisher families live 25 miles from the nearest electrical outlet. There is no running water. They must truck their drinking water from springs that are 15 miles away over rutted--often impassable--trails. When their old pick-up trucks break down, it is a disaster. They had better know how to repair them, because there are no garages. There are no hospitals. No plumbing. No police. Yet these people are dedicated to living in harmony with the Gray Whale.
Dedina tells of the financial forces which endanger this way of life. Major off-shore corporations promise industrial development in the lagoons. They are able to contribute to political candidates who hold out the promise of jobs. Industrial development, would squeeze the Gray Whales out of the lagoons.
Dedina has done his homework. He interviewed a former national President of Mexico as well as many leaders on both sides of the controversy.
This is the best book on Baja California and the Gray Whale.
