Fishermen of the Yucatan Peninsula are trained on marine conservation

The fishing cooperatives of Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo received training from the organization Oceana, in order to have better fishing shelters to improve the abundance and conservation of the seas.

For three days, coastal fishermen from the Yucatan Peninsula learned about the efforts being made in places such as Punta Allen, Banco Chinchorro and Maria Elena, in order to fish responsibly and address illegal fishing and the decline of fish species.

Fishing refuges are considered in the General Law of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture as areas delimited for the purpose of conserving zones where species of fishing interest reproduce and grow.

It was through talks, experiences and workshops that the men and women of the sea were able to receive information and methods they could use to fish responsibly, without harming the seas and generating better benefits.

The director of Oceana’s Marine Sanctuaries in Mexico, Miguel Rivas, explained that the fishing refuges have been a fundamental tool to improve their activity and have a positive social impact that allows them to diversify their income with ecotourism projects, for example, as well as involve other sectors of the communities such as young people and women.

“This meeting serves as an inspiration for fishermen and fisherwomen from other parts of the country where fishing refuges are an option to conserve the marine ecosystems on which we all depend,” he said.

Likewise, the representative of the cooperative Mujeres del Mar de Punta Herrero and leader of a project created by women who provide lodging and food to tourists interested in visiting a fishing village on the Mayan coast and in low-impact tourism, mentioned that this type of training strengthens self-employment for the fishing sector.

TYT Newsroom