Business model to save vaquita from extinction while improving fishermen's livelihoods in the Upper Gulf of California

Principal Investigator: Enrique Sanjuro

Funding Year: 2016

Main Objectives: 

• Design, manage and implement a complete research protocol and business model to measure the economic viability of alternative fishing gear in the Upper Gulf of California to address bycatch of vaquita in gillnet fishery.

Main Outcomes:

• Data were compiled from multiple experiments that tested new gear for the small-scale shrimp and finfish fleet as alternatives to gillnets.
• Focus group discussions held with fishermen from the Upper Gulf of California reviewed the data from the tests of alternative fishing gear and noted experimental conditions that were inconsistent with actual fishery operations, such as the number of casts per fishing trip and accurate costs of labours.
• The focus group discussions allowed adjustment of the data from the experiments to emulate commercial fishery operations and thus more accurately assess the financial viability of alternative fishing gear.
• In terms of maximizing overall social benefits, an optimal number of fishing permits is estimated, along with a set of policy options for timing of fishing, price premiums, and subsidies.

Reports/Papers: to follow