Artisanal shrimp fishing in the biosphere reserve of the upper gulf of California

Shrimp is the most important marine resource for the three communities of the Upper Gulf of California (UGC): San Felipe in the state of Baja California, and Golfo de Santa Clara and Puerto Peñasco in the state of Sonora. This fishery generates 80% of the profits in the region. A fishery tendency analysis was made from 1996 to 2007 in the UGC. For the first time, this fishery analysis showed that the Biosphere Reserve and the recently declared Vaquita Refuge Area are important grounds for artisanal fishing. The CPUE and total catches used to describe the fishing effort in the area, could be used to establish any further relationship between shrimp population and environmental variables, because of their high correlation coefficient (0.85). Shrimp capture in the marine protected areas has maintained a continuous level of production with economic incentives, making it attractive to fishermen despite recent restrictions on their activities. As shrimp vessels reduce in number, small boats gradually increase in number and productivity, maintaining high incomes from the fishery. A detailed interdisciplinary study of the fishing effort in the UGC must be conducted, because of the endangered species found in this area, which require adequate management for their conservation without compromising the welfare of the fishermen.