The Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP), together with the Mexican Institute for Research in Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (IMIPAS), are carrying out a joint project aimed at “Developing co-management processes for small-scale fisheries, with an emphasis on benthic resources in Chiloé Island, Ancud Bay in southern Chile, and in the localities of Celestún, Sisal, Progreso, and Río Lagartos in Yucatán, Mexico.” The project incorporates principles of gender equality, inclusion, technological training in aquaculture and fisheries, and climate change adaptation.
In this context, a delegation of six Mexican researchers completed an internship in Chile. The first activity was a technical visit to IFOP in Valparaíso, where they exchanged knowledge and experiences with professionals and technicians from the benthic resources area and toured the institute’s facilities to learn about its work. Other activities during the internship included meetings with academics and researchers from the Universidad Católica del Norte, as well as with fishers in the communities of Los Vilos, Puerto Aldea, Caleta Tongoy, and Caleta San Pedro, all located in the Coquimbo Region. The group then traveled to the Los Lagos Region, where they visited Multiexport’s fish farming facility in Puerto Fonck, Lake Llanquihue, Ancud Bay, and Cultivos Cholche in Hueihue, on Chiloé Island.
Gonzalo Pereira, Executive Director of IFOP, explained:
“This internship is part of a project funded by the Chile–Mexico Fund, coordinated by the cooperation agencies of both governments — the Chilean Agency for International Development Cooperation (AGCID) and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID). IFOP acts as the technical executor for Chile, and IMIPAS for Mexico. Among the project’s activities is this exchange, which involves a visit by five professionals from Mexico, along with the Director of Aquaculture Research, to Chile. They will tour aquaculture centers and management areas in northern Chile and, in Puerto Montt, visit both a fish farm and a small-scale aquaculture center. Later, professionals from IFOP will visit the facilities and centers in Mexico. This is extremely valuable, as we can see how these projects are effectively implemented and the results that emerge from sharing experiences.”
Eduardo Alfredo Mendoza, Director of Aquaculture Research at IMIPAS, stated:
“This internship is part of the collaboration project between IFOP and IMIPAS. It’s a co-management project for coastal communities, a very important study since we have been developing it for almost a year in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and it’s also being implemented in Chile. Collaboration is essential in our times — we live in a global village, and therefore it is necessary to strengthen ties with institutions and organizations in the fisheries sector as a whole.”
Nancy Barahona Toledo, as Project Leader, highlighted the importance of these internships, which broaden the understanding of fisheries and aquaculture development in each country and promote knowledge exchange among researchers, fishers, and aquaculture producers. This exchange generates significant professional benefits for all participants, along with cultural enrichment gained through the activities carried out.
