The Sian Ka'an and Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserves' spiny lobster fishery is a near-shore fishery on the coast of Quintana Roo in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The fishery captures spiny lobster through free-diving methods using casitas cubanas in exclusive access parcels, and by hand in the reefs.
The Federación Regional de Sociedades Cooperativas de la Industria Pesquera del Estado de Quintana Roo, S.C. de R. L. (Regional Federation of Fishing Cooperatives in Quintana Roo) and World Wildlife Fund are co-clients for the assessment.
Products from the fishery are sold primarily to the tourism sector in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and other "Riviera Maya" destinations. A small percentage of the catch is sold in other areas of Mexico and exported to the United States.
The Sian Ka'an and Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserves are located in the Mesoamerican Reef eco-region, the Atlantic's largest coral reef system and the world's second largest. The fishery, which operates in both reserves, is managed by the National Commission of Aquaculture and the federal government of Mexico.
MRAG Americas will conduct the third-party assessment, which is expected to take 15 months to complete.
