Common pool resources dilemmas in tropical inland small-scale fisheries

The aim of this study is to describe how small-scale fishery (SSF) organizations of the Centla Wetland Biosphere Reserve (Tabasco, Mexico) face the common-pool resource dilemmas, such as competition for fishing areas and spots, physical interferences, and the diminution of communitarian benefits. Moreover, we assess the relation between the degree of self-management and fishery parameters (e.g., species catch rates and capture size, gear efficiency). Based on the fishermenʹs self-organization capacity we identified three organizational levels: low, medium, and high. Low impact fishing gear (e.g., hooks, fishing-spear) and low fishing effort (3.19 ± 1.41 h per fishing trip) were characteristic of organizations with a high level of self-organization, associated with closed fishing areas. By contrast, organizations with low and medium levels of organization, predominantly found in open-access areas, were mainly characterized by the use of gillnets and high fishing effort (6.17 ± 4.35 h per fishing trip). Higher catch rates (e.g., for the species Centropomus undecimalis [1.93 ± 1.40 kg trip−1 h−1] and Cichlasoma urophthalmum [1.78 ± 1.52 kg trip−1 h−1]) were observed in organizations with a high organizational level. Fishery strategies and fishery parameters were different among organizations with different self-organizational levels as indicated by a multivariate redundancy analysis. The self-organization of SSF to manage fishery resources can be a valuable tool for the conservation of natural resources in small-scale inland fisheries, reducing vulnerability to adverse external factors. Moreover, it provides an economic reserve against regional and national economic and political reforms.