Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

The Loreto Bay National Park, a multi-use marine protected area in the Gulf of California, Mexico, has potential as a combined conservation and fishery management tool. The main objective of the park is to promote the sustainable use of its marine resources for the benefit of the local community. Small-scale fishers living and working within the park boundaries see the marine protected area as having benefits for tourism in the region, but do not see a benefit reflected in a recovery of marine resources that can maintain the fishery stock. This paper evaluates the validity of this perception and whether or not the park has been successful in meeting this objective.