Abstract

Catches in Honduras have been dramatic in the last decade. The bad fishing practices and poor steering control are the main causes. Fishing has considerable economic importance as it remains an essential foundation in most communities. Only on the Atlantic coast has been estimated that depend on this activity 5,500 people.Fisheries authorities have established different regulatory measures, mainly on the lobster resource, including closures, minimum size limits pots, among others. However, after years of implementation of these measures, overall catches continue to decline. Whereupon, it is urgent to take additional steps if you want to preserve this valuable livelihood. With all these elements in place and operating properly we would be making a change unprecedented in the history of fishing in this country and certainly a remarkable significance in the region.After different processes at different levels and based on scientific information and the ancestral knowledge of fishermen, the Government of Honduras has decreed a period of six months, new four no-take areas of fishing, covering a total area of 25,100 km². Added to this, fisheries management through strategic alliances with the Navy, the Public Ministry, the Merchant Marine, scientific institutions, industry and communities are forming a public-institutional coalition to develop sustainable fisheries. At the same time, a set of powerful tools for controlling and monitoring are being created and / or improved in order to control illegal fishing. Diligent regulatory frameworks are being approved and true scientific studies are being implemented.

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