Last week (October 24th to 27th), a group of 13 stakeholders from Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary – including local fishers, their wives and CBAC members – had the chance to visit the renowned fishing cooperative of Vigía Chico in Punta Allen, Quintana Roo, to learn about their history, fishing practices and regulations, management and structure.
The community of Punta Allen in the Biosphere of Sian Ka’an has become a model for sustainable lobster fishing, based on exclusive fishing rights and selective harvest techniques.
The cooperative has a concession for the fishing area and each member has a “lot” in the sea. The fishers free dive and harvest lobsters using ‘sombras’ o ‘casitas cubanas’, ensuring the sustainability of the catch (sizes, no females carrying eggs). The success of their fishing cooperative has sparked similar local initiatives and now the village is also known a community-based ecotourism destination.
We had the opportunity to exchange experiences with members of the cooperative and other community groups, catch and eat some delicious lobster, and go on a kayaking and trekking tour with the women’s ecotourism cooperative of Orquídeas de Sian Ka’an. The participants were impressed by the level of unity and cooperation that exist among the fishers of Vigía Chica.
Thank you very much for the warm hospitality. We are inspired to follow your great example in fisheries management here in CBWS!