Resumo

VILLERIAS SALINAS, Salvador  e  SANCHEZ CRISPIN, Álvaro. Geographical perspective of fishing in the Costa Chica, Guerrero state, Mexico. Invest. Geog [online]. 2010, n.71, pp. 43-56. ISSN 0188-4611.

This paper examines, from a geographical point of view, fishing in one of the poorest regions in the Mexican tropics: the Costa Chica in the state of Guerrero. Our central research questions is aimed to relating the existence of mediocre fishing grounds in these waters, the absence of both adequate infrastructure and forward linkages of fishing, particularly referred to the food industry, and the existence of trading channels monopolized by intermediaries; we assume that these factors have contributed significantly to the actual poor living conditions prevalent in the region, which in turn have stimulated notable migration movements in recent years. Among the significant findings of this study, worth mentioning are: fishing in this part of Mexico is based on the catching of selected species, particularly those with the highest commercial value, such as oysters; Acapulco is the major trading post for the Costa Chica fishing products; finally, we found out that a weak organization among fishermen and cooperatives results in their inability to resolve problems associated with the commercialization of their catching, leaving the door open for intermediaries.

Palavras-chave : Fishing; fishing cooperatives; Costa Chica; Guerrero.