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| The Evolution of Mexico's Carribean Spiny Lobster Fishery.", in Fikret Berkes (ed.): " Common Property Resources. Ecology and Community-Based Sustainable Development. - The fishing cooperatives of Cozumel and Vigia Chico |
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Reference |
| Miller, David L.: "The Evolution of Mexico's Carribean Spiny Lobster Fishery.", in Fikret Berkes (ed.): " Common Property Resources. Ecology and Community-Based Sustainable Development.", p.p. 185-198, Belhaven Press, London, 1989. |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| The fishing cooperatives of Cozumel and Vigia Chico do their fishing in Bahia de la Ascension and Bahia del Espiritu Santo in the state Quintana Roo. Each cooperative has about 100 members. The members of the cooperatives concentrate on fishing lobster. In the early 1960'es the fishing industry shifted from relatively small-scale enterprises to a larger-scale commercial industry, focused on luxury products, such as lobster, conch and shrimp, for export. This lead to the formation of the cooperatives, as access to these species was reserved to co-ops. by federal law. Lobster is fished by the use of casitas, small artificial habitats, which provides shelter for the lobster. The casita technology was introduced in Quintana Roo by cuban refugees in 1968 and the following year it came to Bahia de la Ascension. Casitas are usually placed in shallow waters (2-7 m.) and spaced 20 - 30 m. apart. They are constructed with a frame of thatch palm logs and a roof of reinforced concrete (app. 1,5 sq.m.). They are harvested by free-diving once every week to ten days, using a short gaff or herding the lobsters into a net. Typically the outcome of one casita is 7 - 10 lobsters and in one day 30 - 50 casitas can be harvested. Harvesting is done from 8-9 m. fiberglass boats powered by 40hp motors. In 1986 there were 48 boats in the Vigia Chico co-op. and around 30 in Cozumel. The Vigia Chico co-op. use more than 10.000 casitas positioned throughout an area of 160 squarekm. in Bahia de la Ascension. Conditions of Cozumel are said to be similar, but they do their fishing in Bahia del Espiritu Santu. Furthermore, Bahia del Espiritu Santu is located app. 100 km. from the island of Cozumel where the fishermen from Cozumel co-op. lives. They go to the fishing site in a mother vessel and stay there for one or two weeks. When they are not fishing, they work in the tourist industry on Cozumel island. |
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Coverage of the Institution |
| The concept of fishing cooperatives is known all over Mexico, but it is not known whether similar rules are used by other cooperatives. The institution is concurrent. |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| SOCIAL BOUNDARIES: Members of the fishing cooperatives Cozumel and Vigia Chico. (Requirements for becoming a member is not reported.)
SPATIAL BOUNDARIES: Each cooperative has been granted a territory by the federal government. (Bahia de la Ascension for Vigia del Chico and Bahia del Espiritu Santu for Cozumel). |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| The distribution and spatial definition of the campos (See ResA.) seems to have been arrived at informally. Boundaries were established as fishermen were stopped from expanding in a given direction by the presence of another fishermans gear or marker. Disputes on boundaries between campos can be resolved by officers of the co-op. with the assistance of fishery-officers. (See Con.) The co-op. officers also carry the authority to sanction fishermen, members as well as non-members, who have been fishing in another mans campo. The lobster season is closed between March 15 and June 15. |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| The original territory given to the cooperative has been divided into individually held parcels ("campos", 0.3 - 2 sq.km). Each fisherman holds 2 or 3 campos with 50 - 300 casitas' in each. A campo can be sold or bartered within the co-op. and it can be inherited by the spouse or divided among children. The boundaries of the campos' are marked by bottom features such as rocks, reefs or the edge of a clear sandy bottom. In shallow waters long poles or buoys are also used, while triangulation assists placement and replacement of buoys marking boundaries in deeper waters. Campo owners have exclusive rights to harvest lobsters within the boundaries of their campo. Anyone can go linefishing in the area, but spear-fishing is only allowed between March 15 and June 15, when the lobster season is closed. Fishermen will position casitas on the sea-floor within their campo, but they are not allowed to do it within 25 m. of a boundary between two campos. This should prevent disputes in the ambigous near-border area. Poaching of a campo can lead to severe sanctions. Non-members risk having their equipment confiscated and members can loose their membership of the co-op. and the ownership of their campo(s) |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| Disputes on boundaries between campos are mostly resolved by making written agreements, often by help of co-op. officers. At least once such a mediation resulted in a court of law which defined the campo but also stipuilated that gear should not be placed within 25 m. of a boundary and that campos generally ended 150 m. from the barrier reef. |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| Not reported |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| In spite of the introduction of motor boats which increase the range and mobility of fishermen, Vigia Chico and Cozumel have been able to maintain the territorial boundaries of the co-op. |
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Other Features of Institution |
| Both cooperatives have been succesfull in defending the boundaries of the territories granted to them, unlike the remaining more than ten cooperatives in Quintana Roo. This seems to be connected to their well organized fishery and the harvest technology they employ. Other co-ops. in Quintana Roo do not have individual ownership of fishing sites like the campo-system in Viaga Chico and Cozumel. Instead, any fisherman can place his casita anywhere within the territory of the co-op., but any member who discovers the casita can harvest it. This system created a free-rider problem, because, by the passing of time, only few members would produce new casitas.
Generally the casitas are regarded as habitat improvements, protecting the lobsters from predators, thus enchancing biological productivity. |
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Purpose |
| Resource management of lobster in coastal waters. |
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Country |
| Mexico |
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Region |
| Quintana Roo |
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Date Of Publication |
| TroB 280396 |
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