FAO.org

Framed within component number 1 of the REBYC II LAC Project, “Improvement of institutional and regulatory frameworks for shrimp/bottom trawl fisheries and co-management”, one of the activities defined as a priority in the management of trawl fisheries in Mexico was the formation and start-up of the Advisory Committee for the Pink Shrimp Fishery in Campeche, which in addition to being the body responsible for promoting the implementation of the “Pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum) fishery management plan (FMP), is also a platform for effective participation open to the various actors related to this fishery.

The Committee is made up of representatives of the federal and state government, the National Chamber of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry of Campeche, the Campeche Offshore shrimp fishery Committee, the Federation of Cooperative Societies of Crew members, as well as the technical advisory group; made up of regional research institutions, headed by the National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Gulf of Mexico Oceanographic and Fisheries Research Institute (EPOMEX) of the Autonomous University of Campeche. Among the functions of this committee are the consultation, induction of actions, monitoring of goals, revision and updating of the PMP, financing management and evaluation of results.

Considering that the Management Plan, published in 2014, included 82 actions, the first activities of the Advisory committee, in addition to the formulation of its Operating Rules, were the FMP progress review and the formulation of the annual work plan, for which, an analysis of priorities was necessary. This was carried out following the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAF) method, which was achieved through various workshops, and the delivery of a course to producers and government representatives, on the aforementioned planning method.

Through the Consultative Committee, interaction and coordination among the main stakeholders has been generated, as well as a broad and multisectoral discussion of the current situation of the shrimp fishery and awareness of the need to participate jointly in decision-making; all this with the aim of giving continuity to the actions committed within the Pink Shrimp Fisheries Management Plan and promoting the co-management of this important fishery, in order to achieve its sustainable use.

The operation of the Consultative Committee is a fundamental premise for the implementation of the Management Plan, and also, the participation of the different actors in the decision-making processes of the fishery. However, the effectiveness of its actions depends on the interest of each of its members, who must be clearly aware of the benefits of working together with shared goals.