in Guaymas, Mexico, where a small cohort of locals launch mod-
est fiberglass-and-wood boats from the rocky shore into waters
that will gleam azure at sunrise. From their pangas, crafts about
20 feet long with little more than three bench seats and an out-
board motor, the 38 members of the Sociedad Cooperativa de
Producción Pesquera 29 de Agosto SCL cast baited hooks on
longlines and pull in yellowtail, grouper, or snapper by hand.
On most outings, each boat can catch as much as 220 pounds
before it returns to dock in the afternoon.
Some 75 years ago, co-op president Andrés Grajeda Coronado’s
great-grandfather, Celso Grajeda, handled his catch the same way.
“He used the same as we do: a line and a hook,” says Coronado.
A statue of Celso, one of Guaymas’ first fishermen, overlooks the
town. Today, the city is the most productive seafood-producing
community of the dozens that dot the Gulf of California, the strip ofWORKDAYS CAN
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