Silvia Salas

Addressing Vulnerability: Coping Strategies of Fishing Communities in Yucatan, Mexico

In this chapter, we present a case study from Yucatan, Mexico. The main hazards that fisher groups are confronted with in coastal areas are explored, as well as the coping strategies fishers have developed to face them. We also investigate the sense of well-being according to fishers’ perceptions, and contrast with the level of marginalization reported in official records. Our findings suggest that fishers do not consider themselves poor, as long as they have access to fishing. Fishing gives them food security, but declining catches and other factors beyond their control, such as increase in the frequency of hurricanes and red tides, also expose them to risk and vulnerability. Several social and political issues generate concern among fishers as well. They employ proactive and reactive strategies at the individual and community levels to face those challenges. However, our research discovered that there are differences between communities and groups of fishers regarding those strategies. We contend that socio-economic conditions and levels of organization influence the ways fishers develop coping strategies. We discuss our findings in light of strategies that can be promoted to improve adaptive capacity of fishers in coastal communities, averting them from vulnerable conditions.

Differential Catchability by Zone, Fleet, and Size: The Case of the Red Octopus (Octopus maya) and Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) Fishery in Yucatan, Mexico

ABSTRACT Catchability (q) is a key parameter for the assessment and management of stocks because it is widely used to estimate other parameters such as fishing mortality and resource abundance. However, the common assumption in fisheries assessment that q remains constant through time, individual size, and space can mask the effect of fishing gear, or fleet, when applicable, and the behavior of the organisms, especially when different behavior can be portrayed by different components of the population structure. In the current study, the parameter q was evaluated for the octopus fishery (Octopus maya and Octopus vulgaris) in Yucatan, Mexico, using two deterministic techniques. In the first, q is assumed to be constant by size, age, and type of fleet, whereas the second technique assumes different sources of variation in q associated with the size of individuals, fleet characteristics, and fishing zone. Results suggest that q estimated using the second technique provides information that allows understanding the effect of fishing gear, fleets, and fishing sites at different levels of the population structure. Differences were observed in the patterns of q among fishing zones, with a high vulnerability of small organisms in the central and western zones of the study area throughout the fishing season, whereas the opposite was found in the eastern zone. Differences were also observed in the catchability of octopuses by fleet and species. The results suggest the presence of multiple intra-annual cohorts, which are not considered if q is assumed constant, as currently applies for the official assessment of the resources, with the corresponding fisheries management implications. The results are explained within this framework, and the potential effects of sequential externalities are discussed.

Common Ground, Uncommon Vision: The Importance of Cooperation for Small-Scale Fisheries Governance

Like in many countries around the world, concerns about resource degradation due to high fishing intensity and use of illegal fishing gears have led to the creation of several protected areas in Mexico. Also as in other cases, these conservation efforts have not been very successful, especially in areas where boundaries are unclear; resource uses overlap, and enforcement weak. Under these circumstances, conflicts between users are likely to escalate, making the fisheries system and the protected areas ungovernable. As posited by interactive governance theory, how stakeholders interact depends partly on the inherent characteristics of the social system, including images that they have of each other, and of the governing system. Stakeholder interactions are also reflections of their willingness to cooperate with each other, which in turn affects the overall resource governability. We illustrate the importance of stakeholder cooperation for governability using a case study of two neighboring small-scale fishing communities, San Felipe and Dzilam de Bravo, on the Yucatan coast of Mexico. While sharing fishing grounds and two nested protected areas, fishers from these two communities had different images about what the protected areas were for, who benefited from them, and how they should be governed. The communities also differed in livelihood options, the level of internal organization, and in the mode of governance. Based on our findings obtained through participatory research, we discuss how to foster cooperation between small-scale fishers and promote co-governance in order to enhance resource governability in the area.

Análisis de la pesquería y dinámica poblacional dela vivita de hebra (üpisthonema ogiinumjen Yucatán, México

The artisanal fishery of Atlantic thread herring (Opisthonema oglinum) in the coastal region off Ceiestun, Yucatan, began in 1991 in response to an increase in the demand. by the Yucatan industrial iishing fleet, to use it as bait in the capture of other demersal species. A characterization of the fishery in terms of fishing methods, fishing grounds and catch composition is made for the 1993-94 period. The estimated mean catch per trip was 344 kg, obtained in nine effective hours of fishing. The variable costs per trip are lower than the incomes, but there is not enough inlormation to makc infcrences about the economic aspects of the fishery. A preliminary analysis of thc population dynamics of this species was carried out. The estimated growth parameters were: Lm = 227 mm FL and K = 0.68iycar. Recruitment patterns showed a long period throughout the year, with a maximum in summcr.

Cooperation, Competition, and Attitude Toward Risk of Small-Scale Fishers as Adaptive Strategies: The Case of Yucatán, Mexico

There is a worldwide recognition of the challenges that fishing communities face with respect to changing environments, market integration, and different sources of uncertainty. In this context, to be able to implement policies oriented to increase adaptive capacity in fishing communities and improve fisheries governance, it is important to understand the factors underlying fishers’ attitudes, the decisions they make, and the strategies they develop to face uncertain conditions. We present two case studies from the Yucatan coast in Mexico that reveal the complex and challenging realities of marine resource use in fishing communities and highlight why it is necessary to enhance adaptive capacity for good governance in small-scale fisheries. In both cases, we observed risk-averse and risk-prone attitudes in fishers’ operations in response to changing conditions. In one case, cooperative actions were observed in the community, but those arrangements have been changing in response to increasing uncertainty in catches, the participation of newcomers, and unreliable surveillance. We argue that the decrease in resource abundance, lack of social capital, and weak institutions can increase overall uncertainty and prompt diverse responses from fishers to compensate for such conditions. We contend that strengthening the adaptive capacity of people in fishing communities can be promoted through cooperation among community members, scientists, and public institutions as the first step toward improving fisheries governance.

Drivers and Prospects for the Sustainability and Viability of Small-Scale Fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean

The global increase in demand for seafood products has accelerated the exploitation of many key fisheries resources, contributing to reduced ecosystem health and threatening fishing livelihoods. Small-scale fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean are exposed to those global changes and other threats, which affect their viability and sustainability. In this chapter, we present a synthesis of some of the contributions of the authors to this book in order to illustrate successful and failed experiences at dealing with complex dynamic systems, such as small-scale fisheries, and discuss the necessary conditions and limitations that affect prospects for ensuring viable fisheries and sustainable livelihoods. Understanding the driving factors that threaten small-scale fisheries, as well as the contexts in which they operate, is imperative for reducing vulnerability and achieving sustainability. We synthesize experiences and lessons derived from the chapters in this book, providing examples of the types of challenges small-scale fisheries in different countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region are facing and discussing how actors at different scales are dealing with them. Several of the authors advocate developing and promoting integrated assessment approaches, diversifying income sources, and increasing adaptive capacity in fishing communities. Tools and frameworks for assessment and management are also discussed based on the information presented and the literature review in this chapter. Finally, we offer some suggestions for improving fisheries governance to achieve sustainable and viable fisheries in the region.

Big Questions About Sustainability and Viability in Small-Scale Fisheries

Like elsewhere around the world, small-scale fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean are highly diverse and complex, thus posing great challenges to governance. Coupled with these characteristics are the various changes that small-scale fisheries are exposed to, including climate-induced changes, environmental variability, and market fluctuation. Several tools and approaches have been used to manage small-scale fisheries in the region and lessons from their application provide a strong basis for the discussion about what needs to be done in light of these changing conditions. The focus on the viability and sustainability of small-scale fisheries, which is the topic of the book, aligns with the objectives of the international instruments such as The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries and the Sustainable Development Goals. The chapter provides the rationale for the examination of viability and sustainability in small-scale fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean and introduces the case studies covered in the book.