{"id":7843,"date":"2020-11-23T16:34:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T20:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/?p=7843"},"modified":"2020-11-23T16:36:29","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T20:36:29","slug":"digital-tools-can-make-mexican-fisheries-more-sustainable-and-profitable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/2020\/11\/23\/digital-tools-can-make-mexican-fisheries-more-sustainable-and-profitable\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital tools can make Mexican fisheries more sustainable \u2014 and profitable"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Berenice Garc\u00eda and Rafael Ortiz <\/em><\/p>\n

Digital technology can be a powerful ally to sustainable fishing. Diverse experiences around the world have shown it can improve fisheries management \u2014 sustainably and cost-effectively.<\/p>\n

In the Mexican fishing sector, these technologies are still in a developmental and exploratory stage, yet the experience for Mexican hake producers in the Gulf of California is already showing promising results for both fishers and the environment.<\/p>\n

Gulf of California hake: taking management innovation to the next stage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hake \u2014 or merluza<\/em> as it is called in Spanish \u2014 is a relatively new fishery. In 2012, a group of hake producers approached EDF to make this fishery sustainable and profitable. Over the past eight years, we have been working with hake producers, Mexican fishing authorities, buyers and scientists to secure the fishery in the long run, by improving fishing practices and regulations.<\/p>\n

The more we join efforts, knowledge and tools … the better solutions we can achieve for the hake fishery, and potentially for other Mexican fisheries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Since then, we have been able to include the hake fishery under Mexico’s National Fisheries Chart. We also initiated a Fishery Improvement Project<\/a> to enhance the fishery\u2019s recognition as sustainable, and more recently, participated in the development of a management plan (currently under discussion) that includes an exclusive and secure fishing rights approach.<\/p>\n

Today, hake is the second most important industrial fishery in the Upper Gulf of California. However, hake producers know there is still room for improvement and innovation. That\u2019s why in February 2020, hake producers from Sonora joined EDF\u2019s Smart Boat Initiative: a project to enhance the uptake of modern technologies in fisheries, and carried out through pilots located around the world, in the U.S., Mexico and Asia.<\/p>\n

This Gulf of California pilot was created to gain more information about the fishery’s operation, hoping to make it more efficient, improve its traceability and demonstrate that it operates under transparency, compliance and sustainability standards. All this information helps producers prove they are complying with sustainable practices \u2014 a requirement essential for accessing more markets in the United States and Europe.<\/p>\n

Digital tools: making a difference for the hake fishery\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The hake Smart Boat pilot was designed to solve the fishery’s specific needs \u2014 to have more information on its operations and catches, make its reporting processes more efficient and aligned with fishing regulations, and increase transparency.<\/p>\n

To meet these needs, the hake Smart Boat pilot tested three digital tools: an electronic log, an automated scale and a camera and tracking system.<\/p>\n