Baja California Sur is one of the Mexican states where fishing activities have one of the greatest natural advantages.  The state’s coastline accounts for 22% of the national total, as well as 14% of the country’s total amount of protected waters.  The state offers a large amount of freshwater crab, lobster, squid, abalone, clam, conch, sardines, mackerel, and oysters, among others, for both commercial and recreational uses.  Baja California Sur’s share in the country’s fishing production is one of the highest. It is mainly comprised of lobster and abalone that have high commercial value, accounting for 30% and 9%, respectively, of the total income generated by fisheries in the state.

During 2003, fishing was a significant source of food, jobs, and foreign currency for the state.  Over 200 cooperatives and 393 companies (with a combined 2,490 small boats and 43 mid-sized vessels) participated in the industry, while just 687 permits for commercial fishing were issued.  Authorities also issued 10,739 individual permits for recreational fishing and 1,192 permits for boats, primarily for sport fishing, another revenue source for local fishermen.  Statistics on artisanal fishing are not easily available, but it is important to note that fish provide a critical food source for coastal villages that have little access to roads.

Despite the wealth of the state’s marine resources, the fisheries sector has not re-invested its profits in training or technological upgrades that could make operations more economically efficient and environmentally sustainable.  This is due to a combination of factors, including social impacts of production (i.e. disorderly growth), an increased supply of fishermen migrating to the area, the inability of fishing co-ops to market their products abroad, overabundance of middlemen in coastal fishing, a lack of research related to the field, illegal trafficking of fishing resources, as well as Mexico’s financial situation, which has led to extensive bank financing difficulties.[1]

According to a 2000 sanitary diagnosis of fisheries in the state, the major prevailing deficiencies are the deterioration of infrastructure, obsolete equipment, and a lack of a best practices program for processing.[2] Additionally, Baja California Sur shares a productive region with Baja California, Sonora, and Sinaloa, whose fishing fleets are in better operating conditions and are made up of a larger number of vessels.  The result is that other states are able to extract resources from areas close to Baja California Sur’s coastline.  Furthermore, illegal fishing and poaching practices do occur along the state’s coastline, which will inevitably lead to a further deterioration of natural resources. 

Not all fishermen are so short-sighted.  Nine fishing cooperatives, which include 500 fishermen in ten villages in the municipality of Mulegé, have been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council for their sustainable practices related to the Pacific Red Rock Lobster (Panulirus Interruptus) fishery.   Highly valuable, this commodity has a global market, including Europe, which is more sensitive to eco-labeling.  The certification process took three years to complete, but because 90% of the product was exported, it was important to local fishermen to add the certification to their marketing program.  As of July 2005, the cooperatives were regulating their catch, sending results to government agencies, and enforcing size limits and poaching rules.[3]