Artisanal fishing of Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus sierra in the Upper Gulf of California

Abstract

Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus sierra (Jordan and Starks, 1895) is captured in the Upper Gulf of California by local fishers of three communities: San Felipe in Baja California, Golfo de Santa Clara and Puerto Peñasco in Sonora. Small-scale fishers have increased, Spanish mackerel capture maintain capture levels in the last fourth years. The Sustainable Fishery Index (SFI) identifies three production periods, one of low-capture before 1999 with 274.17 t year^-1; a second of fleet expansion with 602.03 t year^-1 and a recovery period of the capture over 675.65 t year^-1. A GIS survey indicated that 80.44% of the Spanish mackerel fishery in the Upper Gulf of California occurs within marine protected areas, of which 68.82% is done within the Biosphere Reserve of the Upper Gulf of California and 69.31% within its Vaquita Refuge Area. Spanish mackerel captured in the marine protected area generate a gross profit GP of US$ 396,934 year, with a return rate of 87%. Exploitation of fishers’ effort in the marine protected area need to follow an interdisciplinary and complex evaluation because there are endangered species in the region, and this requires an adequate management to enhance marine conservation without compromising fishermen individual interest.