Management and conservation of benthic resources harvested by small-scale hookah divers in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico: The black murex snail fishery

Abstract

I conducted a management assessment for the conservation of benthic resources harvested by small-scale hookah divers in the northern Gulf of California (NG), Mexico, and analyzed the reproductive ecology of the black murex snail. Open access to the fisheries, combined with national and international market pressure, fishing methods, and the timing of fishing activities have caused an evident decline in production, the use of new fishing zones, and a shift of fishing effort towards deeper areas. However, the organization of the diving sector and its initiatives to establish forms of regulation provide an opportunity to alleviate this situation. I conclude that comanagement has the potential to be an effective management system for the benthic resources of the NG, a system that could be facilitated by the sedentary and semisedentary nature of these resources. An informal type of co-management arena is already in place with the possibility of being formalized and solidified.