Area 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central)

Tuna fishing is carried out both in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Mexico and in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, it represents a source of food, direct and indirect employment, trade and economic well-being both regionally and nationally. The species targeted for capture are yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and bluefin tuna (T. thynnus), and associated species include skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), bigeye tuna (T. obesus), albacore (T. alalunga), black skipjack (Euthynnus lineatus) and bonito (Sarda spp).

The fishery has faced different challenges since its inception; The problem is basically identified in three points: overexploitation of the resource, overcapitalization, and social conflict. The fishery management plan was developed through a participatory process where companies, fishermen, crew members, permit holders, processors, educational and research institutions and the Federal and State Governments had and active role. The management plan looks that the fishery be carried out in a safe, inclusive, economically profitable manner, under a resource sustainability scheme, with international regulation standards, coordinated actors, advised fishermen, who enjoy quality of life and economic development, using optimal infrastructure with wide and varied distribution channels, which sell high quality products and high added value. As well as a modern and efficient fleet of vessels, under criteria of equity in access to resources, provided with infrastructure that meets the processing and safety needs of the national and international markets.
Pesca Industrial Atunera de Altura, the Mexican tuna supplier for Pacific Ocean Harvest,  is a mexican fishing company based in Mazatlan Mexico that operates three purse seine vessels that together harvest 3,200 tons of Yellowfin tuna per year:  TIZOC (IATTC #: 2878); CAROL LINDA (IATTC #: 3484) and EL TITI I (IATTC #: 3967).
The objective of the FIP is to reach a score >80 in all the performance indicators of the Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries Standard.
 

The brown shrimp fishery in the Mexican Pacific is one of the most important in the country. Several years of good practices and technical and scientific research have allowed catches to be maintained over time. For this reason, it is necessary to continue with the fishing improvements that will allow this fishery to be certified in the medium term. To achieve this, we seek to develop specific activities to improve the fishery indicators of the three principles established by MSC. The project has a specific geographic scope in the Gulf of California, Mexico, particularly with the brown shrimp fishery conducted in the waters off Sonora. The fishing gear used is bottom trawl. The actions of this project incorporate topics from the review of the status of the stock, its harvest control rules, and strategies, as well as the development and implementation of an onboard monitoring program that provides relevant information on primary, secondary, and ETP species. In parallel, the research should be accompanied by awareness campaigns on the legal framework of the fishery, as well as workshops among stakeholders to define short and long-term objectives. It is essential to point out that during the duration of this project, it is possible that other activities necessary for the improvement of the fishery would be updated, hoping to create everything required to be in condition for a full assessment in 2028.

Mexico´s Pacific Coast shrimp fishery is one of the country´s most important fisheries. It is first in terms of the
commercial value of the harvest from the industrial and small-scale fleets and generates the most jobs directly
and indirectly (approximately 37,000) (SAGARPA, 2013). La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (REBIEN, for its
acronym in Spanish) is a 144,868-hectare coastal protected area that includes environmental lakes, coastal
lagoons, and mangrove ecosystems. It is located in the Gulf of Tehuantepec the southern state of Chiapas, close
to the border with Guatemala. Fishing activities are the main sources of protein and livelihood for the local
communities and approximately 18 small-scale cooperatives (600 fishermen) hold permits and/or concessions
for shrimp and finfish, in the REBIEN (SEMARNAT-CONANP 2009; Rodríguez-Perafán, 2014; Armengol et al.,
2021). White shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) is the most important commercial species due to its price and
average annual production (~2,800 tons) (SAGARPA 2006).
This FIP will begin with the participation of three cooperatives, however, the incorporation of other cooperatives
is expected as the benefits from engaging in the FIP become evident. The participating cooperatives -SCPP
Topón, SCPP El Carrizal, and SCPP El Castaño- include over 200 members and land approximately
150 tons of white shrimp annually. Each of these cooperatives has a concession with multiple fishing areas
where the fishers use cast nets as their main fishing gear. The cooperatives harvest shrimp three or four times
during the year, and the rainy season (May-September) is the most important in terms of production
(CONAPESCA 2015). The cooperatives have established well-enforced internal measures to manage the shrimp
fishing efforts, including voluntary seasonal closures that the cooperatives determined by monitoring the size and
weight of the shrimp and a limited time window for harvests (4 or 5 hours per day). Due to these measures, the
three cooperatives have observed stability in the annual average of their white shrimp catch for the last five years
(~35 tons), however, they recognize the need for better management and harvest practices.

There are no specific policies or management measures for the white shrimp fishery in the REBIEN. In addition,
the pre-assessment has identified other challenges such as data collection, harvest strategy, specific objectives,
and bycatch rates. Very limited value is added to harvests locally and as part of the FIP activities, the
cooperatives will receive support to improve quality, add value, and transition to more formal market segments
that compensate for their fishery management efforts.

The artisanal skipjacks - handline FIP has been established by an alliance that includes the Punta Sacrificio cooperative, SmartFish Rescate de Valor AC, and Fondo Oaxaqueño for the Conservation of Nature (FOCN) with the participation of Comercializadora HealthyFish (buyer), Comité Oaxaqueño de Sanidad e Inocuidad Acuícola (COSIA),  federal fisheries authorities [Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura and Pesca (CONAPESCA), the Regional Center for Fisheries Research (CRIP) of Salina Cruz and the Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad and Calidad Agroalimentaria, (SENASICA), the state of Oaxaca agriculture and fisheries ministry (Secretaría de Desarrollo Agropecuario, Pesca and Acuacultura, (SEDAPA)], and the Municipality of San Pedro; and the academic institution, Technological Institutes of Salina Cruz and of Pochutla.

Tuna is one of Mexico´s, most important fisheries in terms of commercial value and volume, together with the shrimp and sardine fisheries (Hall et al., 1992). Tuna fisheries in Mexico are consolidated as one fishery denominated “túnidos”, whose management is driven mainly by the yellowfin and bigeye tunas (Thunnus albacares, Thunnus obesus) which are targeted by the industrial purse seiner fleet (CONAPESCA 2018. Skipjack tuna and black skipjack (Euthynnus lineatus and Katsuwonus pelamis) are considered associated species of this tuna fishery. Although Mexican legislation includes some long-term goals for K. pelamis, the skipjack fisheries lack a management strategy. The current status of the skipjack populations and the impact of the fishery on the habitat and associated species are unknown due to the lack of reliable data. The fishery does not have a harvest strategy or specific objectives.

For coastal communities in the southwestern state of Oaxaca, fishing is a very important source of income and of protein. Coastal Oaxaca has a regionally important small-scale handline tuna fishery which is centered in the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla (Ortega-García et al., 1996; DOF 2012; CIAT 2015). This fleet harvests skipjacks throughout the year. E. lineatus is probably the most abundant Scombridae species on the Oaxacan coast (Ramos-Carrillo et al., 2011) and Pochutla is the most important small-scale producer of skipjack at the national level (DOF 2012). Very limited value is added to harvests locally and as part of the FIP activities, the cooperatives will receive support to improve quality, add value, and transition to more formal market segments that compensate for their fishery management efforts. The goals of the FIP are to (i) generate information about the Oaxacan skipjacks fishery and its interactions with the ecosystem, in order to inform sustainable management measures and (ii) increase the benefits of the fishery to the local community.