Enhance social wellbeing in small scale fisheries

Fisheries Improvement Activities - October 2023

Hagamos Más Por Santa Rosalía is a community foundation focused on supporting and strengthening local communities throughout the municipality of Mulegé in northern Baja California Sur, Mexico. This local foundation is funded by a combination of local and foreign donations. It is one of the few small foundations in Mexico authorized to issue tax-deductible donation certificates.

The foundation is currently working closely with the U.S.-based "Ecologists Without Borders" on sustainable fisheries efforts. Support for sustainable fisheries comes through identifying and promoting the use of national and international best practices, with the goal of significantly improving the health of the marine environment and the well-being of local coastal fishermen, as well as those who depend on them and their products. Achieving these objectives is in the hands of the fishermen themselves through a "bottom-up" approach, with both FHMSR and EcoWB facilitating and supporting these efforts.

Following up on the support provided to local fishermen in the management of lobster (research) permits, the fisheries authority submitted observations regarding documentation that fishermen needed to complete. The applications were renewed, and new requirements were included, which provided precise data on fishing gear and equipment to be used in the area.

Monitoring of species continues as part of our efforts to generate useful information for resource management, allowing us to assess the health of these ecosystems.

To effectively work with the fishing community, outreach and communication are key. In order to present the fisheries project and provide opportunities for information and engagement with the fishermen, a promotional stand was set up for members of the community.

The objectives were to:

a) Build a connection with the local community,

b) Raise awareness and educate, promoting sustainable practices,

c) Generate interest and support for the fisheries project,

d) Strengthen cultural identity, 

e) Encourage collaboration and promote the local economy.

As part of conservation activities and support for our fisheries, efforts have been made to recover discarded fishing nets to prevent marine plastic pollution and eliminate "ghost nets," which, when left unmonitored or abandoned at sea, become deadly traps for multiple species. This month, we have successfully recovered a total of 200 kilos of abandoned nets, thanks to funding from GGGI (Ocean Conservancy).

Thanks to funding from The Ocean Foundation, the construction of the marine laboratory at the local university (ITESME) will resume. A contractor was selected, and agreements were signed for the construction of the second phase. The aim is to establish a research space with the future possibility of creating a marine-focused degree program at the university.

We are immensely grateful for your invaluable support, as we still need to strengthen our efforts, and we continue to work with great enthusiasm.

Links:

• Pagina de Hagamos Mas por Santa Rosalia

The foundation is currently working closely with the USbased “Ecologists Without Borders” on sustainable fisheriesefforts.Support of sustainable fisheries comes through identifying and promoting the use of national and internationalbest practices, with the objective of substantial improvement in health of the marine environment and the health andwellbeing of local coastal fishermen, as well as the same for those who depend on them and their products.Achievingthese objectives is in the hands of the fishermen themselves using a "bottom up" approach, with both FHMSR andEcoWBfacilitatingandsupporting the efforts.

Continuamos con nuestro programa de monitoreo pesquero comunitario donde participan personas de los tres puertos del corredor pesquero, (Santa Rosalía, San Bruno, H. Mulegé). En lo que va de 2023, hemos podido monitorear los datos de bitácoras de pesca de 315 desembarques y los datos morfométricos de un total de 2,672 organismos de las principales especies de escama de interés (jureles, pargos y cabrillas)

Se realizaron 30 encuestas a pescadores buzos con una extensa experiencia en esta actividad para realizar un análisis sobre los cambios en el ambiente marino de acuerdo el transcurrir de los años.
Se destaca que la importancia de este tipo de encuestas resalta en los siguientes puntos:
A) Monitoreo ambiental
B) Evaluación de impacto humano
C) Alerta temprana
D) Complemento a datos científicos
E) Sensibilización y educación
F) Planificación de conservación

Asistimos al evento de la Semana del Intercambio del Conocimiento y la Conservación, realizado por el Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza. 26 y 27 de septiembre 2023, donde pudimos conocer a actores involucrados en la conservación y el desarrollo comunitario, pudimos compartir conocimientos y experiencias, y mostrar ideas para trabajar juntos para mejorar la gestión y sostenibilidad.

Durante el mes de septiembre, se apoyó con la entrega de apoyos alimentarios en diversas áreas de la localidad, debido a los devastadores efectos del huracán Hillary.

Los chicos implementadores del proyecto de Pesquerías Sostenibles en Mulegé apoyaron en la distribución de despensas con la finalidad de satisfacer necesidades básicas, reducir el sufrimiento humano, facilitar la recuperación a largo plazo, restaurar la normalidad, fortalecer la resiliencia futura, solidaridad y apoyo comunitario y cumplimiento de compromisos humanitarios.

Se apoyó en la coordinación del evento de torneo de pesca comunitario llamado Pescando Residuos 2023 propuesto por FONMAR los días 22, 23 y 24 de septiembre.

Un total de 10.5 toneladas de residuos fueron removidas de las playas de Santa Rosalía durante la quinta edición del torneo de limpieza “Pescando Residuos” realizado del 21 al 24 de septiembre por el Gobierno del Estado a través del Fondo para la Protección de los Recursos Marinos (FONMAR) en colaboración con el Ayuntamiento de Mulegé, la Administración Portuaria Integral y la Fundación Hagamos más por Santa Rosalía A.C.
Las jornadas realizadas los viernes, sábado y domingo en las de Santa Rosalia, respectivamente, contaron con la participación de las escuelas Tecnológico Nacional de México campus Mulegé, COBACH plantel 06 y la escuela Secundaria Técnica #24, además de la ciudadanía en general, logrando reunir a 200 participantes de todas las edades. (fuente: https://fonmar.gob.mx/blog/)
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The foundation is currently working closely with the US-based "Ecologists Without Borders" on sustainable fisheries efforts. Support of sustainable fisheries comes through identifying and promoting the use of national and international best practices, with the objective of substantial improvement in the health of the marine environment and the well-being of local coastal fishermen, as well as those who depend on them and their products. Achieving these objectives is in the hands of the fishermen themselves using a "bottom-up" approach, with both FHMSR and EcoWB facilitating and supporting the efforts.

We continue with our community fisheries monitoring program where people from the three ports of the fishing corridor participate (Santa Rosalía, San Bruno, H. Mulegé). So far in 2023, we have been able to monitor the fishing logbook data of 315 landings and the morphometric data of a total of 2,672 organisms of the main species of interest (jacks, snappers, and groupers).

Thirty surveys were conducted with experienced diving fishermen to analyze changes in the marine environment over the years. The importance of this type of survey is highlighted in the following points: A) Environmental monitoring B) Human impact assessment C) Early warning D) Complement to scientific data E) Sensitization and education F) Conservation planning.

We attended the Knowledge and Conservation Exchange Week event, organized by the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, on September 26 and 27, 2023, where we were able to meet actors involved in conservation and community development, share knowledge and experiences, and showcase ideas for working together to improve management and sustainability.

During the month of September, support was provided with the delivery of food aid in various areas of the locality, due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Hillary. The implementing agents of the Sustainable Fisheries project in Mulegé supported in the distribution of pantries with the aim of meeting basic needs, reducing human suffering, facilitating long-term recovery, restoring normalcy, strengthening future resilience, solidarity and community support, and fulfilling humanitarian commitments.

Support was provided in the coordination of the community fishing tournament event called "Fishing for Waste 2023" proposed by FONMAR on September 22, 23, and 24.

A total of 10.5 tons of waste were removed from the beaches of Santa Rosalía during the fifth edition of the "Fishing for Waste" cleanup tournament held from September 21 to 24 by the State Government through the Marine Resources Protection Fund (FONMAR) in collaboration with the Mulegé City Council, the Integral Port Administration, and the Let's Do More for Santa Rosalía A.C. Foundation. The sessions held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Santa Rosalia, respectively, had the participation of the National Technological Institute of Mexico campus Mulegé, COBACH campus 06, and Technical Secondary School #24, in addition to the general public, gathering 200 participants of all ages. (source: https://fonmar.gob.mx/blog/)