The initiative is funded by the Chile–Mexico Fund, managed by the Cooperation Agencies AGCID and AMEXCID.
A delegation of seven people, made up of researchers from the Institute for Fisheries Development (IFOP), the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh), the NGO Conectar para Conservar, together with fishers from Ancud Bay and the town of Melinka, carried out a technical internship in Mexico, on the Yucatán Peninsula, aimed at exchanging experiences and knowledge in the field of small-scale fisheries.
During the visit, the delegation held meetings with professionals from the Regional Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Research (CRIAP) of Progreso, part of the Mexican Institute for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (IMIPAS), as well as with academics from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Likewise, dialogue and exchange sessions were held with fishermen and women from the localities of Río Lagartos, Sisal, and Celestún, coastal communities located on the Yucatán Peninsula.
The internship is part of a binational cooperation project that seeks to develop co-management processes in small-scale fisheries, with an emphasis on benthic resources, in localities in both Chile and Mexico. Technical visits to the different academic centers allowed delegation members to gain in-depth knowledge of the progress and studies that each institution is developing around various marine resources, as well as to establish links that will facilitate future interactions between researchers from both countries. Likewise, interesting conversations were held with fishing communities about highly relevant resources, such as the Mayan octopus, mangrove reforestation initiatives, marine reserves, and marine protected areas that they have in place. As a complement to these activities, meetings were also held with representatives of the industry associated with octopus processing.
This initiative is part of the collaboration project between IFOP and IMIPAS on co-management in coastal communities, which began in August 2024 and is scheduled to conclude in August 2026. The exchange of experiences and knowledge is especially relevant in the context of binational projects, as it helps strengthen institutional and academic ties, as well as relationships with organizations in the artisanal fisheries sector.
In this regard, Nancy Barahona Toledo, head of the project, highlighted the importance of the internship, stating that it “allows us to learn about the development of fisheries and aquaculture in both countries, to understand how fishermen and women approach the local management of their resources, and at the same time to exchange knowledge with professionals from research centers as prestigious as those visited on the Yucatán Peninsula”.
It should be noted that this cooperation project is being implemented on the island of Chiloé, specifically in Ancud Bay, in southern Chile, and in the localities of Celestún, Sisal, Progreso, and Río Lagartos, in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. The initiative also incorporates principles of gender equality, inclusion, aquaculture–fisheries technological training, and adaptation to climate change.
