National Fisheries Chart 2000:: a new instrument for fisheries management in inland waters

Institutional and legal frameworks have a wide scope and need for improving or refining existing fisheries management tools, and for increasing capabilities of the public and private sectors to better manage the development of fisheries activities, either in marine or freshwater ecosystems. Despite the large surface area covered by inland waters in Mexico, its production during the last 20 years remained at the same level, i.e. production used for local consumption in rural areas supports food for the poorest communities. The present document deals with the most recent legal exercise that shows that there are many opportunities to strengthen technical cooperation and develop policies and commercial issues related to freshwater fish in inland waters. The Mexican federal administration during the years 1994 to 2000 fully endorsed policies that benefited the relationship between the government and fisheries sector. The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries ( CCRF), was adopted in 1995 as a global intergovernmental consensus on the promotion of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture developments. Following its basic principles and norms, the National Fisheries Institute (INP) elaborated the National Fisheries Chart in 2000. This is an example of recent advances to develop legal instruments that fit the need for fisheries management. Such efforts and their implementation can be seen through technical data sheets in the (CNP) as well as other suggestions provided to further promote the sustainable development of inland fisheries in Mexico.