Analysis and management of multi-species fisheries: Small-scale finfish fishery at Bahía Magdalena- Almejas, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Abstract

Fishing is an important activity contributing to countries’ economy and food security worldwide. Despite efforts towards sustainability, fisheries frequently face overexploitation situations, particularly small-scale fisheries (SSF) whose management needs to be improved, according to the United Nations 2030 agenda. SSF are characterised as complex and predominantly multi-species activities, with little information available regarding their past and current operation. In Mexico, finfish fishery has played a fundamental role in recent years, but there are only official norms for four species and basic precautionary measures have been established by national regulations without applying a multi-species management scheme to this group. The present study was conducted to generate information that facilitates understanding how the finfish fishery operates. The research, completed in the Magdalena-Almejas Bay region, included the integration of productive units, the fleet operation, and the relation between target and associated species. The methodology encompassed an analysis of official catch landing reports data, official statistics between 1998 and 2008, and local knowledge gathered through surveys of producer organizations. Among the results, 75 fish species from 23 families were considered of commercial importance; however, 94% of the catches only include 10 families and were geographically located at 140 fishing localities. An oscillatory catch pattern throughout years was found, with the main fishing season being from May to August. The operative unit of the finfish fleet was integrated by fiberglass measuring 24 ± 3 feet, equipped with a four-stroke gasoline engine of 86 ± 40 HP. The target species were identified and compared to the fishing gear in use, capture zones, and associated species, aspects that allow an understanding of how the fishing works and provide important input to enhance métier identification processes.