A Tribute to Paco Valverde

The following tribute was written by Sean Bogle, Producer/Director of “Souls of the Vermilion Sea”, and Co-Director/Associate Producer of “Sea of Shadows”.  Both films are about the struggle to save the vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal, found only in the northernmost waters of the Gulf of California. Click here to learn more about these film projects.

I’ll start by explaining that the title of our film, Souls of the Vermilion Sea is not specific to the vaquita. Our intention was never to make a film solely about the vaquita, but to tell the story of the local community as it faced dire threats from organized criminal networks and corrupt government officials – all stemming from the vaquita’s extinction crisis. So the “Souls” in our film title are meant to embody ALL the souls of the region. The rich marine ecosystem of this region is tethered to the human communities, and they rely on each other for survival.

It was June 4, 2015 when I rolled into San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. Wild Lens had just launched its next film project, Souls of the Vermilion Sea and I was ready to spearhead this project. After many months of research and networking with the players involved with the vaquita issue, many of whom would become characters in the film, I dove deep into this extraordinarily complex story.  Little did I know at the time, that while working on this film project I would establish some of the most meaningful relationships in my life.

I was en route to meet Francisco Javier Valverde Esparza (aka Paco) whom was first introduced to me by friend and fellow vaquita conservationist Dr. Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho. I recall Lorenzo telling me about Paco’s work as a marine biologist, employed by a branch of the Mexican government dedicated the protection of natural areas. He also mentioned that Paco was the badass of San Felipe and an expert on the Upper Gulf of California, with a specific interest in the vaquita. I was extremely excited to meet Paco and learn everything that he knew about the issues facing the Upper Gulf.

Paco’s reserved, but genuine smile allowed a great sense of comfort and warmth that radiated towards me when we first met. He was extremely friendly with a quiet sense of humor looming behind his smile. Paco was accompanied by his robust and exuberantly cheerful sidekick Ramon Alfonso Arozamena Osuna. It was evident that these guys were the vaquita dream team. I now understood what Lorenzo meant by badass.

I jumped into a small boat with Paco and Ramon to deploy and collect C-POD’s – the acoustic monitoring hydrophones that are designed to record echolocation data from vaquita. As a biologist, filmmaker and conservation advocate I could not have been more thrilled to be in this boat with these two dedicated professionals that demonstrated that their energy and efforts originated from passion rather than this being their daily job. Watching the two of them exchange dialogue and assist each other at every moment was a lesson in respect and generosity. They were the official mentors of this project.

As I continued to document the story of the vaquita over the years with other Wild Lens members, the relationship with Paco and Ramon developed less of a character role for the film due to their concerns about causing potential backlash from their government employer. With great respect for this concern, our relationship evolved into a richer friendship and eventually a family bond. It would have been impossible to not embrace a deeper relationship with Paco and Ramon, as they were so grounded, sincere, and hopeful. These are traits that build and secure strong human beings.  The amount of character they both exhibited is at the core of goodness.  Knowing this about them, propelled my admiration for them.

It’s really important to understand that these guys were inseparable. Yes, because they worked together, but also because they knew what they represented was bigger than themselves. They both dedicated their lives to the survival of the vaquita which also translated into the survival of their community. I strongly believe that these men are who they are due to their dedication, support and love to their families which in turn their families returned.  When you have this form of devotion, your spirit and soul are whole. Although Paco and Ramon were selflessly fighting for the survival of the entire marine ecosystem of the Upper gulf, they were also fighting for their families and the families around them. This is what greatness looks like.

In 2020, we lost both Paco and Ramon in such rapid succession that as I write this, I struggle to finish without collapsing in place. Many filmmakers debate about how involved one should get with the characters featured in their projects. Some argue that this can establish bias and compromise the truth of the story, but I say fuck that. The truth emerges as relationships deepen, and without these close connections that were established with Paco, Ramon, and many others in San Felipe, we couldn’t have crafted a genuine and compelling story. I loved these guys and they will always be my family just as I was theirs. I can only hope that others are able to see this love and admiration shine through in the stories from San Felipe and the upper gulf region of Mexico that we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to share with the world.

It does not matter what is the cause that takes us from this world. All that matters is who you are while you are in this world.  Life is not forever, but what you leave behind is eternal.