Rescued: Mexican marine life.

• Position: THE BIG PICTURE - Brief article

The waters off the coast of Cabo Pulmo, in Mexico, are teeming with sea life, but it hasn't always been that way. A scene like this one would have been rare 20 years ago. That's when marine life in this area of the Gulf of California was almost completely wiped out by overfishing, prompting Cabo Pulmo's 100 or so residents to take action. In 1995, they worked with the Mexican government to create a marine national park to protect the area. Since then, marine life has increased fivefold, turning the small town into a tourist attraction and, according to experts, making it the most successful marine reserve in the world. Today, more than 200 species of fish live in the 18,000-acre marine park. In explaining why he was...