Founded in 1959, the Sociedad Cooperativa de Produccion Pesquera Cozumel is a model to follow! The members were recognized with the 2015 National Ecological Merit Award granted by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources due to their unity and great effort to maintain sustainable fishing practices.
This Cooperative comprises 48 members, divided into two fishing camps in Espiritu Santo Bay (Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve) and Cozumel Island. They were the first to get rid of old fishing gear (e.g., hook or nets) to adopt techniques such as the “lasso”, “fishing net”, “fishing flake”, and lobster shadows. In addition to complying with legal closures, internal closures have been imposed that contribute to fishery resource conservation.
The Cozumel cooperative was the first to achieve the Decree of fishing refuges in 2012, with a network of eight refugees adding together 1,048 ha in Espiritu Santo Bay in Sian Ka’an.
