Empowering Fishing Communities in the MAR Reef

As part of MAR Fund’s webinar series, where partners are invited to present results, lessons learned, experiences and share information regarding projects they have developed, the Transformación Arte y Educación (TAE) presented their work in the fight against illegal fishing.

This webinar was held on November 09th, 2023 with the participation of 155 people. The goal was for TAE to emphasize the importance of community training to ensure efficient and effective participation in the preservation of local fisheries.

Given the serious problem of illegal fishing along the coast of Quintana Roo in Mexico—resulting from regulatory gaps, the absence of public policies, and a culture of non-compliance with regulations—the coastal fishermen cooperatives decided to undertake participatory community surveillance to protect their livelihoods and commercially significant fisheries.

Initially, their efforts were not successful, so they decided to undergo training to conduct proper surveillance, not only to ensure their physical safety but also to achieve legal outcomes. To accomplish this, they applied various instructive methodologies, tools, and instruments, ranging from the simplest, such as courses and exams, to the use of information technology like mobile applications, and even recreational activities, such as a board game.

What they have accomplished to date is definitely worth sharing!

If you are interested in viewing the webinar, you can find the recording here: MAR Fund’s Webinar Series 

We will keep you posted on any other community fisheries topic presented in MAR Fund’s Webinar Series.

The MAR Fund Team.