Every morning just before dawn, Eric Bricston launches his fleet from the shores of La Playita, a tiny beachside town on the Western coast of the Baja peninsula. After pushing their boats directly from the bone-white sandy shores, he and his fellow fishermen head toward Gordo Banks, a famous fishing spot known for its enormous pelagic fish such as wahoo tuna (Acanthocybium solandri), mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), and other catches that weigh hundreds of pounds each.
Once a construction worker living in Utah, Bricston moved to Mexico in the 1980s. He established his fleet shortly after and now manages five dozen pangas—open-top, fiberglass fishing boats used throughout Mexico and Central and South America. Local people have been fishing in La Playita for generations. Now, it’s a popular tourist destination, especially for fishing—even as the number caught each year declines.
Throughout his time there, Bricston has been recording ...
