OYSTERFARMS
In the 1970’s several families in Peñasco looked to growing oysters as an economic opportunity. Today there are seven oyster farms located in the protected waters of local estuaries. These family operations employ rows of stacked trays, anchored in coastal mudflats, to grow oysters from larva to adults. Some families market oysters in town, while most sell them under palapas in the wetlands where they work. Oysterfarming requires frequent cleaning and sorting of the oysters as they develop in the trays. This form of aquaculture has little negative impact on the ecosystem, and could continue indefinitely without exhausting resources, making it a truly sustainable enterprise.

BLUE CRAB
Found in the estuaries and along the coasts of the gulf, blue crabs are highly adapted predators. Rather than a fourth set of legs, these crabs are equipped with fins for fast swimming in strong currents. CEDO recently confirmed the presence of two closely related species in the region, one with more pronounced facial spines.

TESTIMONIAL
“By promoting environmental awareness, disseminating knowledge, and encouraging civic participation, CEDO is a fundamental force driving social openness, civic dialogue, and honest and transparent decision-making. Although essentially directed towards the environment, CEDO has been above all the promoter of a vision of social progress that I embrace completely: the vision of an open and participatory society consciously building its own future. I recommend the nomination of CEDO for the National Conservation Award, in the most enthusiastic and emphatic manner. For its brilliant trajectory, CEDO clearly deserves this recognition.”
- Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra
   Biodiversity Research Center of the Californias, San Diego Natural History Museum

LAS CONCHAS
CEDO found its home on this long stretch of beach south of Puerto Peñasco, in 1980. In the early days, sea lions would haul out in Las Conchas, and today they can be still be seen on shore at the Cholla bay headline. In the background you can see the extinct volcano for which Rocky Point is named.

ESTERO
You’ll find the words ‘estuary’, ‘estero’ and ‘wetland’ throughout our site. A wetland is any fresh or salt water habitat which is inundated with water at least once year. An estuary is a coastal wetland where salt and fresh water mix. Scientifically speaking, all of the wetlands we work with in the northern Gulf are ‘negative estuaries’ or ‘hypersaline lagoons’ because they receive no freshwater influx.  Negative estuaries are called ‘esteros’ in Spanish, so that’s how we often refer to them.

FISHERMAN TESTIMONIAL
My name is Cuco Salazar, I’m a commercial diver on Peñasco’s rocky reefs. When I heard that CEDO had won the 2007 National Conservation Award it reminded me of when I was interviewed on the radio about the protests in Peñasco in response to the enforcement of fisheries regulation in the Biosphere Reserve. While I shared my story, many people called in to say “the sea belongs to those who work it” – I said, you know, it’s different – farmers sow their seeds and care for their crops, we don’t sow the sea and we keep taking from it, fishing all year long. These issues are complex, but that’s what makes this recognition of CEDO all the more important. 

LEAST TERN HABITAT
Least terns, endangered in Mexico, have very particular nesting habits. They chose flat, sparsely vegetated sand bars, spits and beaches, with little human disturbance. Leaving shells on these beaches is a good idea, especially the big white ones, because terns depend on these to camouflage their eggs. This protects them from aerial predators. Terns still have to face threats from ground predators, like coyotes and dogs – they are also impacted by people entering their colonies on ATVs. When parents leave their nests to defend the colony for just a few moments, their eggs are vulnerable to the baking sun. You’ll see this bird along the coasts of Peñasco from April to August, after raising their young they migrate to South America.