PROSPECTIVE Mexico Northern Gulf of California chionista clam - hand gathered

The hand-collected chionista clam fishery in the Northern Gulf of California is a traditional fishery that has been practiced by local fishing families for decades in coastal areas. A group of chionista clam producers is seeking to make improvements in the fishery through a FIP Fishery Improvement Project, the main interested producers from the community of the Golfo de Santa Clara Sonora are the family group of Renzo Mendoza Permit holder, and the Cooperative SCPP Almejeros Unidos del Golfo SCL. From the community of San Felipe B.C. the clam producers Jesus Lopez, Ruben Lopez, Jose Orozco, Jose Lopez Figueroa, and Israel Lopez Figueroa, as well as the permit holder Jorge Alvaro; also from the ejidal community Rodolfo Campodonico municipality of Caborca Sonora, the SCPPE Bahia San Jorge SCL, also some seafood distributors are interested in collaborating to improve the fishery, among them Alto Golfo Seafood, and GOLPAC, also some government institutions have expressed their interest in participating as the Regional Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Research (CRIAPS) from Guaymas under the direction of Dr. Raul Molina to formalize the FIP of chionista clam to generate information to support the development of the Fishery Management Plan, also Jesus Zatarain director of the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Reserve by CONANP. The project is currently supported by the Resource Legacy Fund (RLF), the Sustainable Fisheries Plan by the French Development Agency (ADF) and the Mexican Conservation for nature Fund (FMCN). Information is currently being gathered to carry out an MSC pre-assessment and a Social Responsibility Assessment to comply with the HRSRP from Fishery Progress, and the Smart Fish Value Recovery Model has been implemented with some of the producers.