Something Wrong in Barra

A confluence of dead fish caught in an eddy and some of the birds circling overhead for the ones just dying.

Two years ago when we first visited Barra de Navidad, there were many, many fishermen plying the waters of the Lagoon. Some had nets, others were diving for clams and oysters. Just entering the long, dredged canal that leads to the lagoon, you were forced to drive around fishermen, some in the traditional boats that looked like dugout canoes, and others in their modern pangas. Not so, this year.
Every day now, thousands of fish float dead on the surface. They are mostly a six to eight inch, herring-type fish, but there are other varieties too. The winds push them around the lagoon and the tide sucks them out into the bay. They look freshly dead, all of them have bright red marks by their gills, most haven't even begun to swell with gases. Every day, at various time of the day, the water is disturbed by scores of fish swimming erratically in their death throws. Hundreds of pelicans, seagulls, frigates and terns swarm in the skies feasting on the easily caught dying fish. As you can imagine, there are few fishermen to be found in the water.
We've heard that this is an outcome of the Jova hurricane that pummelled the Barra area this last hurricane season. We were told that the lagoon became contaminated by sewage and has not recovered. Whatever, the reason, the sight is disturbing and our hearts go out to the fishermen that once worked this water.

***********
Below is a picture of our favorite restaurant in all of Mexico, found in Melaque. It just tastes like home. They have all the items you find in a Mexican restaurant in America like chimichangas and fajitas, which you never find in an authentic Mexican restaurant in Mexico. We found out that extended family members own restaurants in America that have the exact same menu.