The COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly transformed all social structures around the world, and coastal zones where tourist and fishing activities take place is no exception. Due to the sanitary measures, restrictions to travel and lock down periods, the tourist sector has been one of the economic sectors most affected by this health and economic crisis. However, it is not the only sector to have been affected, the fisheries sector, being highly dependent on the export market, has also suffered the consequences of this crisis. In this article, we aim to identify the main characteristics and key aspects of the fishing and tourist sectors in the states of Yucatan and Campeche, in Mexico, under pandemic dynamics. What are the organizational and governance structures that have been developed in response to this world phenomena? To answer this question, we conducted phone interviews and reviewed governmental and community actions. Results show that individual survival strategies prevail as a response to COVID-19, over community or governmental actions. There was limited coordination among the different governance structures, between the community and governmental levels. However, this crisis has also been a period of learning and innovation to implement adaptive governance structures to build resilience and a “new normal social reality”.
Fiscal economic instruments (FEI) are indirect regulation mechanisms that generate public revenue for the state through rights to use, charges, and concessions. In Mexico, some of these instruments can be used in the surveillance, administration, and preservation of the environment. In this paper, we analyze the changes in Federal and State growth rates of expenditure budgets in critical areas of the Yucatan Peninsula coast to describe their contribution to sustainable development during the last 12 years. We present an adaptation of the methodological guide of economic instruments for environmental management from CEPAL, with 2013 as the base year for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator and the use of the Protocol of Nagoya year as an international compromise signed by Mexico. The results obtained show that the expenditure budgets respond to economic, political, and short-term security attention without expectations for sustainability. However, alarming evidence of severe environmental deterioration in the coast is diminishing natural attraction, from tourism, for example, which is the main source of income in the region. The effective use of FEI by local governments may be useful to addressing environmental challenges from a decentralization process with better awareness of the importance of coastal areas for regional sustainability.
Sportfishing is an activity of increasing popularity that involves a large number of users and high levels of fishing effort. In Yucatan, most of the target species in sport fishing are the same as those of commercial fisheries. However, there is no record of fishing effort or catch volumes. Thus the impact of sport fishing on these populations is unknown. This study analyzes the catches made by users of sport fisheries of nine species (Epinephelus morio, Haemulon plumieri, Seriola dumerili, Lutjanus synagris, Ocyurus chrysurus, Calamus bajonado, Sphyraena barracuda, S. guachancho and Mycteroperca bonaci) through length-based indicators. Samples of species’ sizes were obtained from the catches made during 10 fishing tournaments held in Yucatan's three-port towns (Sisal, Yucalpeten, and Telchac) between 2015 and 2016. The catch variables that were evaluated included: the number of mature individuals Pmat, optimal length Popt, and the number of mega-spawners Pmega. Length measures were derived from 1,252 individuals. Only H. plumieri, L. synagris, and S. guachancho exhibited sustainable indicator values, while E. morio and C. bajonado demonstrated extremely low values. In most species, sport fishing affects a high proportion of juveniles. The results suggest that sportfishing contributes to the fishing pressure of a species and commercial fishing, due to the capture of juveniles of economically important fish. It is essential to establish a systematic monitoring method of such activities and increase the priority level of the evaluation and management of this fishery.
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