Empowering Fishing Communities in the MAR Reef

As reported before, with your help we were able to work with the Cuerpos de Conservación de Omoa (CCO) in the project “Improving Governance and the Scientific Basis of Landscape in the Paraiso, Muchilena and Chachahuala” (PAMUCH) Fish Replenishment Zone, Omoa, Honduras”,

Through this support we were able to strengthen the Governance with the participation of stakeholders, expand the information base of the landscape of PAMUCH, promote processes of scientific research and social knowledge of the lionfish and expand the technical recommendations for its control.

The results achieved with this project were:

• Improved coordination in the implementation of the existing Action Plan for conservation and management of PAMUCH, reaching agreements with institutions involved in the management, within this agreements we have: strengthening fishing groups, the physical delimitation of PAMUCH, continuing to support clean-up of the bodies of water in the protected area;
• Development of a spatial and multi-temporal analysis of the micro-basins that influence PAMUCH fish replenishment zone. The files generated will serve as planning and management tools for the micro watersheds;
• Development of the study "Determination of the Distribution and Relative Abundance of the Lionfish in the Cuyamel Wildlife Refuge - PAMUCH Zone" carried out by Personnel of the Department of Biology of the UNAH-Valle Sula with the support of CCO. The results obtained through this study cannot be shared yet, since there are still in the analysis phase. To date what has been gathered is a database; descriptive statistics; media, fashion and frequency distribution; among others;
• Development of a control and surveillance plan coordinated by the Dirección General de Pesca y Acuicultura (DIGEPESCA) for the marine patrols and the Instituto Nacional de Conservación Forestal Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (ICF) for the land patrols.

All support provided has been possible thanks to your involvement, each activity developed takes us closer to the thriving resource we want our future generations to enjoy.

Thank you for your help and for believing in our work.

The MAR Fund Team.

As reported before, through the Project of the Month Club we were able to work with the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) and help local fishermen in the Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge (RVSPM) in Guatemala consolidate their fish replenishment zones.

Aiming to strengthen the extension and actions to comply with the II Agreement between CONAP and the La Graciosa, Punta Gruesa and Laguna Santa Isabel communities for the administration, management and sustainable use of the RVSPM fish replenishment zones (FRZ).

The objectives stated within this support have been worked on, up to date CONAP has been able to acquire the equipment needed to develop the first monitoring within the FRZ and the buoys, with its anchoring system, have been renovated and are going to be placed to demarcate the FRZ.

The process to sign the II Agreement is on its way, awaiting the approval from CONAP´s central office to be able to sign it with the communities.

Thank you all for being part of this journey with us, all we have achieved has been thanks to your support.

We look forward to continue helping the Punta de Manabique communities move forward with their effort to recover their fisheries. We´ll keep you posted.

Thank you

From the MAR Fund Team.