Study United States Case - Dry Tortuga
In 2001, the Tortugas Ecological Reserve, a 518 km2 marine reserve located within Dry Tortugas National Park, was decreed. Establishing this reserve involved the collaboration and coordination of 25 institutions, which made it a long but solid process. Studies carried out eight years after the decree reveal an increase from 36% to 64% in the...
Bahamas Case - Exuma Cays
The Exuma Cays marine reserve was decreed in 1985; it has an area of 400 km2 of coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves, and sand flats. Recently, it has been documented that the biomass of some exploited species has increased within the reserve compared to fished areas. Such is the case of the Nassau grouper, whose biomass...
Belize Case – Glover’s Reef
Glover's Reef is a marine reserve established in 1993 to recover Caribbean spiny lobster populations and other exploited species. This reserve covers 74 km2, including different habitats: coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves. In 1998, when monitoring and surveillance began consistently, the density of lobsters inside and outside the reserve was similar. After three years, lobsters...
Mexico Case - Isla Natividad
In early 2006, the Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Buzos y Pescadores de Isla Natividad decided to close two blocks of its fishing concession as Fishery Refugees. The purpose was to evaluate the recovery of blue and yellow abalone fisheries; oceanographic conditions have been decimated due to climate change. After four years of studying the...
Banco Chinchorro Fishing Cooperative
This Cooperative of 27 members was founded on March 21th, 1987. They have developed a strong awareness of sustainable fishing. Using a sizeable territorial extension and a considerably isolated location in the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, they face great adversities, among the strongest of which is the control of illegal fishing. However, despite the difficulties...
Cozumel Fishing Cooperative
Founded in 1959, the Sociedad Cooperativa de Produccion Pesquera Cozumel is a model to follow! The members were recognized with the 2015 National Ecological Merit Award granted by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources due to their unity and great effort to maintain sustainable fishing practices. This Cooperative comprises 48 members, divided into two...
Langosteros del Caribe Fishing Cooperative
This energetic Cooperative was born on January 24th, 1992, and currently has 29 members and 11 aspiring members very passionate about sustainable fishing and focused mainly on lobster catching in the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve. As a Cooperative, they have faced ups and downs in the administrative management of their organization, but today they are...
Vigía Chico Fishing Cooperative
In Punta Allen, a small coastal town in the heart of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, the Fishing Cooperative Pescadores de Vigía Chico was founded in 1968. This Cooperative of 63 men and two women is one of the most united and recognized for its excellent fishery practices and operational management at an international level....
Mujeres del Mar Touristic Cooperative
Mujeres del Mar comprises seven enthusiastic women entrepreneurs from Punta Herrero in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. Since 2019 they have received visitors interested to get to know a fishing village settled on the Mayan coast. In the short term, they want to be a successful company led by women able to diversify the economic...
Cooperativa Andrés Quintana Roo
The Andrés Quintana Roo Cooperative is one of the cooperatives that has undergone the most transformations. It began in 1962 with 129 members before fragmenting into three different cooperatives: The Andrés Quintana Roo, Banco Chinchorro, and Langosteros del Caribe. The three cooperatives fish in the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve and worked collectively to achieve the...
