Territorial tensions and conflicts produced in commercial coastal fishing in the state of Campeche, Mexico (2013-2018)

Abstract

The state of Campeche, with a coastline of 425 kilometers in the Gulf of Mexico, occupies the seventh position in both volume and commercial value of fishery production in Mexico. In this territory, actions related to fishing without permission, usage of illegal fishing gear and fishing of species banned by Mexican law have increased. The present investigation has the objective of understanding the territorial tensions and conflicts related to coastal fishing resources in Campeche. The investigation parted from a review of literature and hemerographic sources. Subsequently, it included the application of questionnaires in four field trips between 2016 and 2017. The results are that from an environmental point of view there has been a reduction of the population of sea cucumber; from an economic perspective, fishers have to invest more in energetic and logistic resources in order to reach farther fishing grounds; and socially, there are tensions between fishers who respect the norms and others who are not.