Classification and mapping of Territorial-Use Rights Fisheries (TURF) systems in Mexico

Abstract

Territorial-Use Rights in Fisheries (TURFs) is an area-based management tool that has globally been used in small-scale or artisanal fishing communities. This approach specifically allocates one or more fishermen exclusive access to a fishing territory in order to incentivize them to steward, not overexploit, marine resources and the environment. In Mexico, TURFs exist across several regions of the country, including Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Chiapas, Veracruz, and the Yucatan peninsula. Herein this study we explored the Mexican TURF landscape and system in its entirety through classifying Mexican TURFs into several archetypes and creating both an interactive and multiple static maps of these exclusive territories. TURFs were categorized according to a fishing cooperative’s governance structure and resource focus. From this research, six archetypes emerged to which a case study was evaluated for two archetypes. Findings show that the success in the sustainability of Mexican fisheries, employing the use of exclusive territories, depends upon the social, ecological and governance conditions surrounding the cooperative and community.