On Wednesday, Oct. 21, as 175 fishing boats streamed out of the Cabo San Lucas Marina during the iconic shotgun start of Bisbee’s Black and Blue — aka “the world’s richest fishing tournament” — a group of protesters lined the shore.
But they weren’t protesting the tournament. In fact, crew aboard some of the fishing boats participating in the tournament were among those displaying signs of peaceful protest. At issue was a new schedule of dock fees from the Cabo San Lucas Marina, already considered the most expensive in Mexico.
Why tourism service providers are protesting in Cabo San Lucas
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The Cabo San Lucas Marina is no stranger to drama. On Apr. 11, 2024, the government-owned Administración del Sistema Portuario Nacional (ASIPONA) seized control of the port from IGY Marinas — which had managed it for the previous 20 years — stating that the latter’s permit had expired, and that they now had a 50-year concession to the marina granted by Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR).
But IGY Marinas’ parent company, MarineMax, has disputed the legality of these actions in Mexican courts, claiming that the takeover of the marina itself was illegal, and that renegotiation clauses in its operational contract weren’t properly honored.
Two years later, however, ASIPONA remains firmly in charge, despite complaints about the lack of cleanliness and infrastructure improvements around the marina, and outrage at the new fee schedule — the reason for the recent protests — which raises the rates for various dock fees by a reported 200% to 500%.
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The charge of uncleanliness is undeniable: “The marina is currently full of trash and smells bad,” said tourism service provider and protester Javier Ontiveros, per El Sudcaliforniano. “It lacks security services, and the ground is uneven — I’ve even seen elderly people fall while disembarking from cruise vessels. We are asking that a portion of the revenue collected be allocated toward infrastructure maintenance.”
But it’s the massive fee hikes themselves, published on the first of this month and made without any consultations with tourism service providers, that are the most distressing to locals.
The squeeze continues for tourism service providers
This has not been a banner year for tourism in Los Cabos. Through September, international air travelers — the most valuable type of tourist to the local economy — are down by 8.4%. But that only tells part of the story.
For five straight months, the number of international air travelers has plummeted: decreasing by 10.5% in May relative to the same month in 2025, 14.2% in June, 16.6% in July and August, and 14.7% in September.
Since each of these high-value tourists is expected to spend US $1,157 on average, the 294,800 fewer international tourists that have flown into Los Cabos this year relative to last year represent a loss to the local economy of about US $340 million.
This is important context for the recent protests, since tourism service providers who have made less money this year are now being asked to pay substantially more for operating costs.
Another exciting Bisbee’s tournament in Cabo San Lucas
Despite the backdrop of protests, Bisbee’s Black and Blue delivered another memorable tournament, with 175 teams competing for a US $7.4 million purse. As it turned out, an overwhelming amount of that money would go to just one team.
Although it was their first time in the tournament, Team Contango’s Spartan’s Revenge caught the first fish brought to the scales on the first day of fishing: a 491-pound blue marlin boated by team member Kevin Miranda after a 2.5 hour fight. The fish was immediately worth $US 1.9 million due to daily jackpots.
“It was the best day on the water ever,” said Miranda’s teammate, George Kypreos, per Bisbee’s. “It was sunny and beautiful and the water was flat. We were like on a yacht (a 60’ Viking). We saw a few other boats in the distance, but we were pretty much alone. And that was the big one for everybody!”
One qualifier, one big winner
But after three days of fishing, when no other team could beat the standard set by the 491-pound blue, or even muster a qualifying marlin, life got better and better, and the fish became worth more and more money: US $5,629,300, to be exact; or the largest single payout in the 46-year history of the event.
In total, 38 qualifying marlin were caught during the tournament, but 34 of them were released. And of the four brought to the scales, three failed to meet the 300-pound minimum limit.
“El Niño certainly did a number on us, fishing-wise,” explained the tournament’s director, Wayne Bisbee. “But in true Bisbee’s fashion, the teams had fun and I’d like to thank all of them for fishing with us again. Congratulations and well done to Contango’s Spartan’s Revenge for a nice marlin and for setting the payout record for that catch.”
Chris Sands is a writer and editor for Mexico News Daily, and the former Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook. He has also contributed to numerous other websites and publications, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Travel, and Cabo Living.
