Area 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central)

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). Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve (MNBR) located in the state of Nayarit is the largest (~130,000 hectares) and most productive coastal wetland in the Mexican Pacific and represents 15% of the country's mangrove coverage (SEMARNAT-CONANP 2013).

Approximately 20 small-scale cooperatives hold permits and/or concessions to fish in 15 different areas in MNBR. Fishing activities are the main source of food and livelihood for local communities. The most important commercial species is the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), with an average annual production of approximately 3,538 tons, during the fishing season which runs from September through March (Chavez-Herrera et al., 2020). This FIP will begin with the participation of two of the larger cooperatives, but other cooperatives will be invited to join as the benefits from engaging in the FIP become evident. The participating cooperatives - SCPP Ignlogar, and SCPP Llano del Tigre - include over 440 members and land over 500 tons of whiteleg shrimp per season. Each of these cooperatives has a concession with multiple fishing areas where
they use two fishing gear types of fishing: cast nets and a trap style called "tapos", which are semi-fixed structures made with mangrove branches that enclose and concentrate shrimp and other species in a lagoon or estuary. Some of the cooperatives have repopulation and mangrove restoration areas, reflecting their commitment to improving their ecosystem. The two cooperatives have recorded significant decreases in their shrimp catch over the last three years and they recognize the need for better management and harvest practices.

Although the whiteleg shrimp fishery has a modified escapement strategy, seasonal closures and monitoring programs, the most recent data shows a decreasing trend in catch levels (INAPESCA, 2018; INAPESCA, 2019). This indicates a need to strengthen data collection and the harvest strategy or have additional management measures in place. Therefore, the FIP aims to generate more information on the fishery and the ecosystem, reduce environmental deterioration, and transition towards responsible shrimp fishing practices that add value to the product and provide more benefits to communities. Much of the shrimp harvested by the cooperatives is directed to the informal, dehydrated shrimp market which adds very little value to the harvest. As
part of the FIP activities, the cooperatives will receive support to transition to more formal market segments that value their fishery management efforts.

AGAC has recently assessed its tropical tuna fishery against the MSC Fisheries Standard - it resulted in the certification of the yellowfin tuna stock, which was one of the three Units of Assessment (for more information on this process, click here).

With its Eastern Pacific Ocean skipjack & bigeye tuna - purse seine FIP, the goal is to contribute to the improvement of skipjack and bigeye tuna stock status in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, more specifically in the IATTC area of purview, as these stocks did not meet the MSC requirements in the aforementioned assessment. For that, the work here will focus only on the PIs that did not meet SG80 (mainly the ones that might not be fully tackled by the MSC Certification's Client Action Plan, more specifically to resolve the non-binding conditions that were set) and on the recommendations made by the CAB.

This FIP was developed exclusively by AGAC.

(NB: AGAC = Asociación de Grandes Atuneros Congeladores = Association of Large Tuna Freezers; please note that the denomination OPAGAC [Organización de Productores de Grandes Atuneros Congeladores] is contained in AGAC and refers to vessels flagged in the EU. While the name "OPAGAC" is more widely known, it is AGAC that integrates all the vessels in the association)

Mexico’s shrimp fishery is one of the country’s most important fisheries in terms of value (SAGARPA, 2013). Sinaloa is the second most important producer of shrimp in the country after Sonora (Anuario 2018) In Sinaloa, it has been estimated that around 600 small-scale are authorized to target the species. According to some recent data, 238 permits are active in the northern part of the state. The most important commercial species are the blue and brown shrimps (Litopenaeus stylirostris and Farfantepenaeus californiensis). This FIP will begin with the participation of 4 cooperatives, but the project aims to include more groups as cooperatives that operate in the Navachiste Bay, that includes producers that target both species using bottom trawl and gillnets inside the Navachiste Bay and the open waters around the bay. Finally, our project although aims to follow the framework of Fishery progress, monitoring and reporting on MSC environmental indicators, will also be monitoring and reporting improvements on both social and financial indicators of our producer partners, this will be reflected in the implementation of a triple impact workplan.

The Eastern Pacific Ocean swordfish - longline FIP is designed to improve the fishery by supporting progress toward the global standard for sustainable fisheries of the Marine Stewardship Council program. The fishery is governed by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). The swordfish is caught by vessels flagged to Panama and Vanuatu. Project hosts are Fong Hsiang and SYM-PAC.