Moving from Stock Assessment to Fisheries Management in Mexico: The Finfish Fisheries from the Southern Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

Abstract

As a signatory of important international fisheries agreements, Mexico should develop and implement proper fisheries management structures to maintain or restore populations in order to maintain sustainable fisheries within its exclusive economic zone. To do so, proper stock assessments of fishery resources based on scientific evidence are required. While this step is not as a legally binding obligation, it is important for understanding the status of fisheries stocks and how Mexican law and regulatory measures should go about accomplishing national and international goals effectively. In this context, small-scale finfish fisheries (SSFF) play a significant role in the Mexican coastal regions in the southern Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (GMCS). Nonetheless, SSFF have received limited attention despite their contribution in terms of commercial landings, contribution to the diet of coastal communities, and as source of income and employment. In this chapter, we summarize the management and regulatory framework associated with the SSFF in the GMCS. We then evaluate the status of these resources based on catch data of SSFF in the GMCS using two approaches. We developed a typology of these fisheries to define categories and then used a traffic light system to show the status of the resources and management tools used in each case. This chapter also discusses the need for an integral approach to assess and manage this type of fishery and recommends adaptations that are required to improve management strategies for these resources.