Photo by Katina Roumbedakis
Small-scale fisheries in Mexico face numerous challenge and concerted effort is imperative to deal with the increased vulnerability in small-scale fisheries and the communities. The e-book is an important step in that direction since it helps enhance the visibility and the understanding of small-scale fisheries in their entirety, not only in certain aspects as has been done in the past.
On October 27–28, 2025, TBTI Mexico held its second workshop, whose primary objective was to identify and share collaboration proposals within the TBTI Mexico Network at both national and international levels. The workshop included the launch of the TBTI Mexico e-book ‘Un Mar de Retos y Oportunidades en la Pesca Artesanal Mexicana’.
A number of TBTI Global members, including TBTI Director and the coordinators of several TBTI hubs, attended the 2025 MARE Conference in Amsterdam, which took place on 24-27th of June.
The objective of the new TBTI Global project is to establish national networks, or hubs, of researchers and stakeholders in support of small-scale fisheries in five Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.
Special message from the coordinators of the newly established TBTI Mexico
In December of 2023, five TBTI hubs were established, which sparked the idea to initiate a TBTI hub in Mexico. Prior to this, two virtual workshops were held, which helped shape the steps for moving forward with the Mexican hub. TBTI Mexico launching workshop was held on September 30, 2024 in Mazatlan, Mexico, one day prior to the the SSF Regional Symposium for Latin America and the Caribbean which took place on 1-4 of October, 2024. Researchers from different institutions and disciplines working on small-scale fisheries in different regions of the country met to explore the possibilities of networking as well as to define the mechanisms for possible collaboration to be developed in Mexico through this network.
The workshop included the presentation of the trajectory of TBTI Global, what the network offers to the Mexican chapter and how it can be linked to other hubs. The workshop organizers (TBTI Global members) explained the motivations for starting this network in Mexico. The interactive sessions allowed the participants to share and exchange experiences and to get inspired to continue collaborative efforts within TBTI. Colleagues from TBTI Ecuador joined the session and shared their experiences and interest in networking. Encouraged by the group dynamics, participants shared their experiences, concerns and interests in collaboration and their expectations of what the network could offer them and what they could offer the network. Coordinators were nominated and appointed and the first actions for collaboration to advance TBTI Mexico were proposed. Among the proposals presented is the integration of an e-book and organization of future workshops were listed. Although about 30 people were in attendance at the workshop, so far nearly 60 people expressed interest in joining the hub. With the launching of TBTI Mexico, the collaborative path for the visibility, sustainability and viability of small-scale fisheries in Mexico is well underway.
In the book, the current national context in which the sector operates was considered, recognizing the need to make artisanal fishing more visible and to highlight its importance within Mexican society and at a global scale. The book features chapters written in non-technical language, allowing potential readers – including fishers, students, academics, members of civil society, and anyone curious about artisanal fishing – to explore fishing stories from various contexts and regions, the ways of life of both fishers and fisherwomen, and the environments that surround them... We are confident that the editorial effort invested in completing this work – alongside the collaboration of all the authors and the support of the TBTI Global Series – will serve as one of many windows through which the profile, position, and value of Mexican artisanal fishing can be elevated to the level it truly deserves.
The Editors
Dr. Silvia Salas is a researcher at CINVESTAV-Mérida, head of the fisheries laboratory, member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the National System of Researchers and the State System of Researchers in Yucatán. She is also a member of TBTI Global, the scientific committee of IMIPAS and several national and international networks. She has coordinated and collaborated in multidisciplinary projects related to: bioeconomic assessment and management of small-scale fisheries; risk and vulnerability assessment in fishing communities and coping strategies; analysis of operational strategies in small-scale fisheries, value chain analysis and management processes. She has participated in the development of management plans for several species and developed productive projects for fishing cooperatives in Mexico. Silvia has participated as an expert in several meetings organized by FAO, WWF, WTO, OECD.
Dr. Minerva Arce-Ibarra is a former Fishery Biologist (UAS), with a M.Sc. in Marine Biology (CINVESTAV- Mérida) and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Dalhousie University). Currently, she is a consultant and a Researcher and Professor at the University Autonomous of Sinaloa (UAS), Mexico. Her research interests are the commons and community-based management of territories, small-scale rural and indigenous fisheries, and transdisciplinary approaches to study the viability and sustainability of small-scale production systems. One of her most recent distinctions was in 2022, when she was a member of the Ocean Studies Expert Group to nominate applicants for the ‘2023 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation’ award (www.pewtrusts.org).
Dr. Francisco Arreguín-Sánchez completed his degree in Biology at the National School of Biological Sciences in 1977. In 1980, he earned a Diploma in Agricultural Credit from FIRA Banco de México. He pursued his master’s in marine biology and his Ph.D. in Marine Sciences at the Mérida Unit of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1984 and 1992, respectively. He is a Tenured Professor at the National Polytechnic Institute affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine Sciences. His scientific activity is focused on fisheries with a holistic approach including management, conservation, the impact of fishing and of the changes of climate patterns on ecosystems and its resources. He has contributed on several aspects of fisheries certification and the assessment of interactions between fishing and threatened species.
Mauricio Vargas-Herrejón is a PhD Candidate at the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo. His academic work focuses on small-scale inland fisheries, socio-ecological systems, and biocultural practices associated with lacustrine territories. His research includes fisheries governance and community-based resource management; analysis of fishing gears and spatial dynamics of fishing effort; and socio-environmental assessment. His contributions have strengthened the understanding of how identities, local institutions, and Indigenous worldviews are integrated into the use and management of continental ecosystems. His academic and visual production is characterized by the integration of scientific, ethnographic, and narrative approaches, articulating ecological perspectives with the sociocultural dimensions of small-scale fisheries.