Source: Daniela Reyes
A group of fishermen in Bahía de Kino, Sonora, are not diving just to fish, but to fulfill the challenge of repopulating a former productive area of axe callus, which was converted into a desert due to overexploitation.
Today they have stable production thanks to the implementation of an Integral Management Zone for the resource, and they implement a labeling system to ensure the traceability of their products, tell their story and make consumers aware of the effort behind their food.
Consolidation of the cooperative
After participating in the From Fisherman to Fisherman meeting in 2006, an initiative of the civil organization Niparajá that brings together fishermen from all over the country to exchange experiences, the fishermen of Kino Bay were revolutionized by the initiatives of other organized fishermen.
The impetus was such that in 2007, 17 free fishermen got together and created the Young Ecofishermen cooperative with the support of the organization Community and Biodiversity (COBI), dedicated to marine conservation and the sustainable management of fishing resources.
In 2009, they obtained commercial fishing permits for axe callus, however, it was clear to them that the species could not continue to be caught without counteracting overexploitation.
“It was free fishing, with no restrictions, and it has been heavily exploited since the 90s until now. We saw the decline of the product, the scarcity due to overexploitation and the mismanagement it had, and still has. When I started diving in 2003, we gained 30 or 40 kilos in a three-hour day, fast. Right now you gain four or five kilos from eight in the morning to three in the afternoon,” said Daniel Torres, president of the cooperative.
Overexploitation only slowed down until 2021 when a ban was established to restrict fishing during the breeding season of the species that runs from July 1 to November 30 in Kino Bay, in addition to a catch quota.
Because of this situation, the cooperative decided on a 100% sustainable production. This meant repopulating the species so that its capture would not lead to overexploitation and thus keeping both the species' population and production stable.
“The resource is very overexploited, but we have realized that it is very noble because if you leave it and take care of it, it will recover,” Torres said.
Repopulation
Daniel Torres, fixing the collectors of axe callus larvae on the seabed. Source: Daniela Reyes.
In late May and early June, Torres launches into the sea with an oxygen hose. Someone on board is responsible for passing him an anchor and a larva collector that he fixes on the seabed, while another fisherman in charge of the engine records the spot on the GPS.
Thus, they place around 120 collectors that they leave for three months in the sea, then take them to the shore where they select the seed of the axe callus and return those of other species to the sea.
Finally, the seeds are placed in nestier-like boxes in the sea, and every month they are monitored until they reach a size of between 8 and 10 centimeters, which is when they are ready to be sown approximately in the month of January.
It has taken them years to achieve a successful process. Initially, the mortality percentage was 50% in the species they planted, but based on their experiences, they modified the technique and the times to reduce the mortality rate, which currently hovers between 5 and 10%. Every year they plant around 500 axe calluses.
In 2013, the cooperative obtained a fishing permit to promote axe callus, whose purpose is research, study and conservation of resources. The permit covers 25.9 hectares where it developed its own fishery management instrument called the Integral Management Zone.
With the knowledge of the fishermen, they decided that the Zone would be a refuge with two areas: one for mariculture, where they put the collectors and sow the axe callus; and the other for fishing. In both, callus is repopulated and captured.
Currently, the Young Ecofishermen cooperative is the only one in the Gulf of California that repopulates axe callus and with positive results. They have proven this through the underwater biological monitoring they do in the polygon and its surroundings to learn about the biomass of the species.
“In the first monitoring we did of the entire area, we didn't find any calluses. The next year, when we started working, we had 100, and in 2018, four years later, we already had about 10,000. In the last monitoring, we have found around 11 thousand. It was 40% or 50% naturally and the other part of the plantings that we have carried out,” Torres said.
By regenerating the product, they not only benefit as a cooperative, but also the entire community, since 80% of the divers in Bahía de Kino, El Sahuímero, El Choyudo and a part of the Comcaac community depend on this resource.
Since 2022, the cooperative has been financially supported through the “Blue Innovation” project, promoted by the French Development Agency in collaboration with COBI, whose objective is to maintain the resilience of marine ecosystems and increase the adaptive capacity of coastal communities by promoting conservation and sustainability solutions.
The idea behind this model developed by the cooperative is that more communities in the Northwest with overexploited axe callus are inspired by it and replicate it with adaptations, said Carlos Acevedo, a member of COBI.
Traceability
Axe callus captured by the Young Ecofishermen cooperative and ready to be marketed. Source: Young Ecofishermen Cooperative.
When catching axe calluses, anglers open and separate the mollusk from the shell. Once cleaned, they fill five-kilo bags to sell them, mainly, within the community and sell the shells individually.
Since 2018, as part of the effort to achieve sustainable production, fishermen have implemented a label for calluses in their shell.
Each label is numbered, allowing for production control and ensuring traceability. It also includes a QR code that leads to a video where they tell the story of the cooperative and explain how the Integral Management Zone works.
“With the label, those who buy it can really see the origin of the product being eaten and that they can see that it is a 100% sustainable product. Apart from the dissemination of the project, we want people to be aware of the importance of the ban and when they can and cannot consume it to respect the reproduction time of the species,” Torres said.
Currently, they are looking for markets that pay for the added value of their product and in this way the production, the repopulation work and the monitoring they carry out are sustainable.
“We are just in the commercialization process. Right now, the percentage we have managed to obtain is minimal. However, we have an added value that sets us apart from other commercial anglers. By offering the product, we offer the story behind its production and that can lead us to a slightly higher price,” said Torres.
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