Developing novel partnerships to implement community-led fisheries management measures.
Baja California Sur, located in northwestern Mexico and bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, boasts over 2,000 kilometers of coastline. Surrounded by rich waters, the state has a deep-rooted fishing tradition, with more than 2,000 people involved in the sector. Small-scale coastal fisheries play a vital role in supporting local livelihoods and economies, making their effective management essential for sustaining healthy marine ecosystems. However, despite their importance, many of these fisheries still lack community-driven management practices that are critical to ensuring their long-term sustainability.
In order to identify communities where FishKit could support the design and adoption of management measures, a strategic site selection process was applied that led to four Pacific coast fishing communities: Las Barrancas, La Poza Grande, Puerto San Carlos, and San Buto. These communities are part of a broader initiative to establish restorative aquaculture operations that provide local livelihoods and ecosystem benefits. Given the overlap with fishing communities, this initiative holds strong potential for advancing fisheries management. In each of these communities, our team held a series of 3 workshops aimed at training in FishKit and then facilitating decision-making using the toolkit.
Discussions and results from the workshops highlighted fundamental barriers to implementing management measures, specifically related to income and short-term losses. However, in cases where that income is currently being supplemented by aquaculture operations, there is a willingness to set new rules. Furthermore, in cases where there is the promise of new sources of income, community members are more willing to consider new fishing regulations, meaning that there is an emerging synergy between the FishKit efforts and the restorative aquaculture initiative. Our team looks forward to better understanding how to pair these two initiatives to maximize impact.
