Catch Shares: A framework for sustainable fisheries
Full Solution
Fishing in twilight of Gulf California
Carlos Aguilera
The Upper Gulf of California is home to a variety of marine species, including the endemic Gulf corvina whose use provides a livelihood to more than 9,000 people. Unsustainable resource use has led to the overexploited of this species.
Catch Shares (MCC)is a framework for sustainable fisheries management, resulting in reduced overfishing while improving the economic wellbeing of fisherfolk dependent on healthy marine ecosystems.
Last update: 30 Sep 2020
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Context
Challenges addressed
unsustainable and illegal fishing, threatened ecosystems and declining revenues
• A run on fish, leading to overexploitation
• Decline of fish stocks, caused by overexploitation
• Negative impacts on the ecosystems through unintentional by-catch
• Over-capitalization of fleets
• Low participation of fishermen in decision making and implementation processes
• Discrepancy between economic and conservation investments
• Illegal fishing
Location
El Golfo de Santa Clara, Mexico
Central America
North America
Impacts
The communities manage their resources more responsibly, participate in decision-making and implement legislations
Regulated and limited fishing reduce its investment costs by 14%, increase total revenues by 8% and stops price variations of primarily 50%
Guaranteed access right to fish stocks, limits the run on fish and allows fishermen to be more selective, i.e. reducing unintentional by-catch
Catches are reduced by 40% but the prices payed increased by 22% - this improves the ratio of volume and value
Beneficiaries
small-scale and industrial fisherfolk, fishing communities, local and national fishery authorities, consumers, research institutes, civil society organisations, legislative decision makers and local communities
Story
“Chaos–that is the best way to describe the curvina fishery some years ago,” says Francisco Dominguez, a fisherman for more than 40 years in the Gulf of Santa Clara. Every year, between February and May, corvina gather in the Colorado River Delta to reproduce at the full or new moon. At this time, the sea becomes a hive of fish and boats are in a competitive race to catch them.
“Back then we used to fish just for the sake of it”, remembers Francisco. There were no incentives to decrease harvesting, regardless of the market saturation and price breakdown.
Since the implementation of Catch Shares in 2012, those days are gone. Now, fishermen like Francisco have secure access to their resources, allowing them to plan in advance, reduce costs and increase incomes while keeping the fishing harvest at sustainable levels. With Catch Shares, chaos is no longer the reality of the corvina fishery: “Now we have more fish in the water, more food on the plate and a more prosperous community.”
