Self-empowerment and successful co-management in an artisanal fishing community: Santa Cruz de Miramar, Mexico

Artisanal fisheries for relatively sessile benthic organisms have become key test cases for developing and testing sustainability policies, as they can address challenges, such as limited enforcement capacity or uncertainty in biological information, by applying area and economics-based management and research methods that are difficult for highly mobile species. We use results from a Participatory Rural Appraisal to analyze the evolution of governance of oyster fisheries along the coast of Nayarit, Mexico, within a community management effort led by local fishers, and highlight key factors in success (and challenges) that are relevant for similar contexts in other regions. We particularly focus on the dynamics of local management, the identification of problems and solutions by fishers, and the integration of community management with the various stakeholders and institutions that participate in formal governance frameworks. These actions have led to self-imposed area and seasonal rotation of harvest to maximize per-unit value, with independent information showing concurrent increases in local oyster abundance and size. Fishers identified lack of enforcement capacity as a main barrier to sustainability, yet were eager to engage with relevant institutions to fill these gaps and continue community-led management that leverages their social cohesion, low production costs, and empirical knowledge of local markets to increase landed value while minimizing overfishing.