Mexico La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve artisanal snook and snapper - handline

Primary tabs

Overview

La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (REBIEN, for its acronym in Spanish) is a 115,652-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). Coastal Chiapas has a regionally important small-scale handline marine finfish fishery, where snook and snapper species are the most important species in terms of commercial quality and market value, together with white shrimp (Rodríguez-Perafán 2014). During 2020 year, the average annual production of snook (Centropomus spp) and snapper (Lutjanus peru) was 376 and ~94 tons for the state of Chiapas and the cooperatives in the REBIEN respectively. However, according to the logbooks of fishing production for the last five years, the cooperatives in the REBIEN have registered significant decreases in their total catches of marine finfish (~30%).

The Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) will launch with the participation of one cooperative, with the intention of including more groups as the benefits of participating in the FIP become apparent. The SCPP El Castaño cooperative includes over 36 members with 30 vessels and during the last five years, it has caught an annual average of 10 tons of finfish per year. This cooperative has a concession with multiple fishing areas, where the main fishing gear for finfish is the handline (line and hook). The cooperative shows two main harvest seasons (i) a high season that includes from May to September and (ii) a low season
that corresponds to the months of October to April. The cooperative also sets time windows for daily fishing activities based on the tidal cycle: (i) high tide in the morning (~3 hours) and (ii) low tide in the afternoon (~3 hours). Due to the significant decreases in their total catches, this cooperative recognizes the need for better management and harvest practices, as well as, established no-fishing and refuge areas as a strategy for the protection of fishing resources. Currently, due to the lack of a capture strategy and specific objectives of the snook and snapper fishery, the status of the population and its impact on the habitat and associated species are unknown.

FIP Description 

La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (REBIEN, for its acronym in Spanish) is a 115,652-hectare coastal protected
area that includes environmental lakes, coastal lagoons, and mangrove ecosystems. It is located in the Gulf of

FIP Objective(s) 

The project aims to deliver the following by 2028:
1. Reinforce the technical, social, and financial capacities of the cooperatives participating in the FIP.
2. Improve data collection for the snook & snapper fishery in the La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve, including
information on by-catch.
3. Improve the management and policy of snook & snapper fishing in REBIEN through collaboration with
Mexican government institutions (CONANP, SEDAPA, INAPESCA, and CONAPESCA).

FIP Type 
Basic
FIP Stage 
Stage 2: FIP Launch
Start and Projected End Dates
December 2022
December 2027
Next Progress Report Due 
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Pacific Snapper
Scientific Name
Lutjanus peru
Common Name 
White Snook
Scientific Name
Centropomus spp.
Gear Type 
Handline
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Mexico
Geographic Scope 
La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas
Country Flag of Vessel 
Mexico
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
10 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
94 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2020
PrintPDF

FIP at a Glance

View current status
December 01, 2022
32% 11% 11% 46%
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

Not yet available
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.
Jan 2024
Target End Date
Dec 2027

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
SmartFish Rescate de Valor, AC
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Yuliesky Garcés Rodríguez
Phone 
+526121488553
Organization Name 
Conservation International – México
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Ramón Alberto Flores Moreno
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.
19531