Abstract

Marismas Nacionales (MN), in the Gulf of California (GC), is one of the largest mangrove areas on the Pacific coast of North America. This ecosystem is economically and ecologically important for small and large-scale fisheries. The livelihood of coastal communities in MN is tied to the ecosystem health. However, presently the high fishing effort is linked to economic policies that promote natural resource exploitation and ecosystem degradation. We described a “vicious circle” existent in the social-ecological systems of fishing towns in MN, where high prices of some fishery resources and unsus-tainable fishery practices, maintain mangrove forests in a degraded state. We report data from 182 surveys related to fishermen perspectives on their natural environment. We investigated fishermen i) perspectives regarding fishing overex-ploitation, ii) fishery practices, and iii) knowledge about mangroves, fished, and native wetland species. Results show fishermen are aware of environmental damage and reduced catches. We found a long-term practice of unsustainable fishing practices i.e., Purina, a pork meal employed to aggregate shrimp when fishing, is considered an everyday practice during shrimp season. Similarly, the use of illegal mesh nets and cyanide for fishing is widespread. Fishermen were knowledgeable of the ecological benefits mangroves provide to improve their livelihoods, and of the laws for mangrove preservation. Overall fishermen had substantial knowledge of the biology of fished species. Our findings can help lightening actions, which need to be implemented in policy and management strategies in order to break the “vicious circle” between maintain-ing the socioeconomic benefits and increasing environmental degradation in MN.

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