Abstract

In Mexico, as in many other countries, an increase in fishing effort and a decrease in catches is becoming the rule more than the exception. This scenario demands to learn more about the spatial distribution of the fleet and their opera-tions. Better understanding on the fleet dynamics can help to address externalities and other problems faced by fisheries, including illegal fishing. Through international agreements, Mexico has adopted vessel monitoring systems (VMS) since 2004. However, this system has been implemented only for industrial fleets due to technical and economical fea-tures, and recently became mandatory for artisanal fleets. The challenges to cover a large and complex fleet should not be dismissed though. In 2010, a pilot project was undertaken, including development and implementation of a monitoring system for artisanal fleet in the Southeastern Mexico. We present preliminary results from this project addressing the spatial distribution of the artisanal fleet in four states from the study region. Variables associated to fishing activities from geographic coordinates of fishing trips (e.g., speed, distance, time) were estimated. A summary of trends on the areas of concentration of the fleet and frequency of trips were analyzed. The potential use of VMS for artisanal fisheries is stressed after this study. It could offer important information for fisheries management, given the complexity of artisanal fisheries (variety of target species and use of multiple gears). We discuss the challenges and the potential use of VMS for the artisanal fisheries management in the region.

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