After years of overexploitationthis fisherman from La Paz has changed the way it works and is now driving the restoration of marine species.

The history of Hubert Enrique Méndez Camacho is a testimony of how the relationship with the sea can evolve from exploitation to conservation. From the illegal fishing to the sustainable fishing.

The neighborhood fisherman El ManglitoLa Paz, gave the testimony of the history of his relationship with the sea for the program Voices from the Seaa collaborative effort of Loudspeaker Radioof Mexico City, and NOS Sustainable Northwestto document and disseminate practices of sustainable fishingand to sensitize the audience to the relationship between communities and marine ecosystems.

Méndez Camacho said that, growing up surrounded by fishermen, as a child he was fascinated by the activity of his father, who used to dive to catch the Catarina clam in the crystal-clear waters of the Ensenada de La Paz.

The underwater paradise described to him by his father

His history with fishing began as a punishment imposed by his mother, who sent him to work with his father so that he would understand the effort required by that trade. However, what began as a lesson soon became a passion.

"At that time I was about 7 or 8 years old. As time went by I went more with my dad, I went on Saturdays, I convinced my mom to let me go and the truth is, I said, what kind of suffering? I would look at my dad's eyes, his face, he loved being at sea," she said.

He remembers his father telling him how wonderful it was to dive and admire the underwater life of the Ensenada, which he describes as a "paradise".

However, Hubert discovered that this paradise was disappearing. When he learned to dive at the age of 13, he could no longer find the same clam populations he had seen as a child. Overfishing had depleted the resources and fishermen began to migrate to other areas and to dabble in night fishing for species such as sea cucumbers.

He said that at the age of 18 he was already involved in this activity, often resorting to illegal practices such as night harpooning of species such as snapper, cabrilla and perico fish.

The turning point

The situation changed when a citizen observatory denounced illegal fishing activities in the islands near La Paz. At that time, Hubert met NOS Sustainable Northwestan organization that works to promote responsible fishing and the restoration of marine ecosystems.

Initially, the presence of the organization generated rejection among the fishermen, but soon Hubert and his community understood that they could do things differently.

"Thanks to this denunciation we began to build this beautiful story of the restoration of the Ensenada de La Paz and we began to recover the callo de hacha, which we had overexploited. We began to bring in a little bit of Catarina clam, which had been depleted over time due to overexploitation and natural phenomena," he recalled.

Thanks to these restoration efforts in the Ensenada de La PazIn the last few years, they have recovered species such as the hatchet scallop, the mussel and the rock clam, which had been overexploited. Today, their community has 230 tons of mussels ready to be harvested in a sustainable manner.

A future for the sea and its people

Hubert Méndez commented that he has taken "three steps back" in order to move in the right direction. Now, along with other fishermen from El Manglitoactively participates in mangrove and seabed cleanup, and works to add value to fish products without compromising the health of the ecosystem.

This personal and community transformation was made possible by NOS Sustainable Northwest who came and educated them on how to take care of the Ensenada and take advantage of the species in a sustainable and value-added way.

"That was so nice that I really thank this organization that has come to support us and educate us to fish better and better," he said.

Today, the Organization of Producers Rescuing the Ensenada (OPRE), in which Hubert participates along with other fishermen, is an example of how the will of the fishing sector, together with the support of organizations such as NOS Sustainable Northwestcan transform the community and promote the sustainable use of marine resources, guaranteeing the conservation of ecosystems.