Mexico Bahía de Kino penshell - hookah

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Overview

The penshell fishery in Sonora began to develop in the 1950s. The interest in this marine resource has been increasing during the last few decades because penshells are considered a seafood delicacy, its price during 2021 on the beach was 29 to 35 USD

Excessive fishing since the 1970s led to a drastic reduction in catch volumes. The local extinction of specific banks hampered the natural recovery of the species. Overexploitation of penshells has occurred mainly due to poor regulation, open access and over-capitalization of fishing effort. To ensure sustainable management of this resource, producers needed to look for alternatives to reverse the crisis that is happening in the fishery. Since 2014, the cooperative Ecopescadores in Bahía de Kino has implemented a “Integrated Management Zone” project for the penshell (Atrina tuberculosa). This project includes tenure through an aquaculture development concession, encompassing an area of 25.91 ha in Kino Bay, Sonora. In addition, the producers defined three fishing management tools that are used within the concession area. The tools are: 1) refuge areas (no-fishing areas) accounting for 30.5% of total area, 2) fishing zone (managed by quotas-MCC) with 32%, and 3) the area of restoration (marine culture) with 37.5%, where larvae will be captured from the environment and penshell growth will occur through farming on the seabed.

The producers wish to implement a Fishery Improvement Project with an enhanced  catch and grow fishery (CAG) sistem  that reinforces this management zone, brings access to better markets, and improves both fishermen’s lifestyle and scallop stock.

This FIP is going to comprehensive (2022-2026)

FIP Description 

FIP Objective(s) 

General Objective

Implement the farming and enhanced fishery approach of penshell Atrina tuberculosa through management strategies of the artisanal penshell fishery with hookah in Bahía de Kino, Sonora, to have a healthy fishery through the implementation of 22 indicators of the sustainable fishing standard MSC, keeping them above 80 by August 2026.

Specific FIP objectives:

Identify if there are effects on the natural substrate by penshell extraction with hookah diving equipment within the UoA. By December 2023, a report will deliver the results of the analysis of videos and fishing logbooks. COMPLETED

Determine if the penshell farming within the UoA could generate a negative effect on the sediment through the increase in biodeposition of organic matter. Systematic sediment samples, it will be evaluated if there is accumulation of organic matter in the UoA. By October 2025, there will be a baseline of the conditions of the UoA, subsequently, every two years it will be evaluated to identify if there are significant changes that could modify the community structure of the ecosystem.

To avoid competition for food within the UoA, the FIP will determine the availability of food through an annual cycle to determine if there is enough availability to avoid competition between the penshell and other filtering organisms found in the UoA. By October 2025, final results will be obtained in a technical report. Continuous monitoring will also be carried out on the physical-chemical parameters of the water in the sea at the UoA during the growing cycles.

Develop a strategic management plan for farming sustainable and aproach for penshell, incorporating the fishing management tools, current fishing regulations. This management instrument will be prepared in conjunction with the fishers and will be applied as of May 2024. COMPLETED In addition, work will be done to promote with fishing authorities the design of a specific management plan for the species in the commercial fishing area for penshell in Bahía de Kino.

Generate an effective route for decision-making within the FIP participants, this route will be generated by June 2024. COMPLETED

Achieve an unconditional pass to the MSC standard by August 2026.

Additional objectives
 That the Fishers have a demonstrative model for the sustainable farming and management of the penshell resource.
Decreases fishing effort on natural populations of penshell A. tuberculosa Fishing effort on natural populations decreases

 Protect and preserve the habitat of the target species.

FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
April 2020
August 2026
Update 
There have been delays in the re-activation and implementation of the FIP due to the new enhanced fisheries focus, so the approximate end date was modified.
Next Progress Report Due 
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Species 
Common Name 
Tuberculate Pen Shell
Scientific Name
Atrina tuberculosa
Gear Type 
Diver-Harvest
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Mexico
Geographic Scope 
Bahía de Kino (Gulf of California)
Country Flag of Vessel 
Mexico
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
2 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
2 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2024
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
April 01, 2020
25% 43% 32%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
C Some Recent Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
May 2025
Target End Date
Aug 2026
Additional Impacts:
TraceabilityEcosystem

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C.
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Raziel Hernández
Email 
rhernandez@cobi.org.mx
Website Name 
COBI
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
9407