Abstract

The gulf corvina (Cynoscion othonopterus) fishery captures an endemic fish of high social and economic importance in the Upper Gulf of California. This fishery has gone through important changes since the implementation of rights-based management (RBM) in 2011, including the establishment of an Advisory Corvina Fishery Council. The analysis showcased in this presentation comes from the yearly surveys that EDF de Mexico implements in each of the four communities participating in the fishery. These surveys collect data on fishing costs and revenue, commercialization, subsidies and other government programs, as well as fishermen’s perceptions on the corvina fishery’s management, governance and biological performance. Our analysis shows that respondents perceive that RBM has brought about social and economic benefits, even if there are still opportunities for improvement. In the context of these results, we discuss the role of the Advisory Corvina Fishery Council as an example of governance body, and as a stakeholders participation model that could be used in other regions of Mexico and particularly in the Grouper fishery of the Yucatán Peninsula.

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