{"id":148,"date":"2024-08-29T11:41:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T14:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marfish.org\/?page_id=148"},"modified":"2025-06-09T15:18:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T18:18:44","slug":"our-work","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marfish.org\/en\/our-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Our Work<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The MAR Fish project, since its launch in 2019, has successfully advanced the conservation of the Cayman Crown reef and fish spawning aggregations in the MAR region. It has been instrumental in the protection, research, and sustainable management of the Cayman Crown reef through a combination of scientific monitoring and legal protection that has laid a strong foundation for the long-term conservation of this ecologically significant and unique marine environment. The project has also made significant contributions to monitoring FSA sites, strengthening the network of protected FSA sentinel sites in the region, and supporting community participation in fisheries co-management.<\/p>

The MAR Fish project pursues its overall objective through two specific objectives: 1. The legal recognition and adequate management of the Cayman Crown area in Guatemala and Belize, and 2. Promoting participatory monitoring of a network of sentinel spawning aggregation sites in the four Mesoamerican Reef countries.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photography by: TIDE<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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MAR Fish focuses on three components:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. The Cayman Crown Reef is legally recognized and managed in Belize and Guatemala<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n The Cayman Crown site was subject to scientific explorations to validate the existence of FSAs, characterize them, and study the coral reefs of the area, which first explorations revealed its good health. These elements served to advocate for the protection of the new replenishment zone declared in Belize as part of the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve and the 10-year no-take zone in Guatemala. High-level political discussions have been held with key decision-makers to protect and manage Cayman Crown sites in Belize and Guatemala. NGOs of the two countries are already working together for coherent management. A financial mechanism \u2013 an endowment fund in the form of a specific account hosted within MAR Fund \u2013 has been established to ensure the long-term management and protection of the Cayman Crown site.\n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photography by: TIDE<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2.\tSentinel Site Observation Network<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Several spawning sites are already protected and monitored in the region, mainly sites for the Nassau grouper, a critically endangered species found in the IUCN Red List.<\/p>

The project aimed to set up a network of 7 sentinel multi-species spawning sites to ensure homogeneous monitoring that allows a coherent regional vision of their evolution. Currently, there are 10 sentinel spawning aggregation sites in the network, monitored by partners along the MAR. These include three in Cayman Crown, one in Belize, three in Mexico, and three in Honduras.<\/p>

A single unified monitoring protocol, data collection, and data analysis have been agreed upon in a regional workshop with training sessions that allowed various stakeholders to learn and commit to following the monitoring process: fisheries administrators, NGO members, fishers, and other members of coastal communities. This monitoring process allowed the creation of a database and the production of a MAR regional inventory on a regional FSA platform.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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3.\tFostering the social acceptability and support for protecting spawning aggregations<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n A detailed communication plan has allowed close relationships between scientists, fishers, environmentalists, policymakers, and citizens, in favor of a regional movement to strengthen the understanding of the role of fish spawning aggregations in the management of fisheries, the importance of protecting them, and fostering collaborative management.\n<\/p>\n

\n With the support of the regional partners already involved in the field, community development activities have been implemented for the communities most affected by the establishment of a no-take zone around the Gulf of Honduras (Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras), focused on alternate income activities.\n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead more about MAR Fish<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Photography by: TIDE<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photography by: Patric Lengacher<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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MAR FISH MILESTONES <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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2019<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>
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Fish spawning aggregation monitoring in the MAR Fish Network<\/a><\/div>

validation of a common monitoring strategy through a regional workshop: prioritization and validation of sites, protocol, and data sharing agreements.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Biological, Economic, Social Information and Technical Justification for the Protection of the Cayman Crown Reef<\/a><\/div>

provides a comprehensive analysis and justification for the protection of the Corona Caim\u00e1n reef in Guatemala.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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2020<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>
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Ministerial Agreement No. 85-2020<\/a><\/div>

by the Ministry of Agriculture of Guatemala designating a temporary no-take zone of the Cayman Crown reef.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A proposal for the expansion of the Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge <\/div>

to include Cayman Crown was submitted to the Guatemalan Congress under Initiative 5819. <\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Hydrographic Survey: Biological importance in the Cayman Crown Ecosystem<\/a><\/div>

\u00a0<\/span>analyses the importance of the results generated within the hydrographic survey for future biological research processes, according to the characteristics of the site, such as depth strata, geomorphology, essential habitats for marine mammals, invertebrates and fish species, related to fisheries and the environment.<\/span>
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Statutory Instrument No. 107 of 2020 and 108 of 2020<\/a><\/div>

declared the expansion of Fish Replenishment Zones (no-take zones) in the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, which includes Cayman Crown.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Policy Brief on fish spawning aggregations in the Mesoamerican Reef Region<\/a><\/div>

highlighting important legal and scientific justifications for their protection and the need for a regional vision to protect these transboundary resources.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The 2020 Mesomerican Reef Report Card was published<\/a><\/div>

by the Healthy Reef for Healthy People (HRHP).<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Ecological characterization and monitoring of reef health in the Cayman Crown, Phase I<\/a><\/div>

report by HRHP on the results on the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) methodology for reef health, the use of photomosaics, and analysis of physical parameters.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Status report of fish spawning aggregations in the Mesoamerican Reef<\/a><\/div>

is an overview of the current state of the FSA in the MAR to guide monitoring and conservation actions.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Characterization of the use of resources in the Cayman Crown Reef, based on the information from user communities of the Gulf of Honduras<\/a><\/div>

produced by a consultancy with MARISLA to understand the use of the Cayman Crown Reef to propose management and protection measures that are adequate for the region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Monthly surveillance patrols in Cayman Crown and the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve <\/div>

were conducted especially during spawning season by TIDE supported by the Belize Fisheries Department.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The 2020 FSA site characterization and monitoring field expedition<\/div>

was conducted by TIDE <\/span>at four multi-species aggregation sites, the Jewel Wall and the West Bezel Fisher Marker in Cayman Crown, and at Nicholas Caye and Rise and Fall Bank in the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve in Belize.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by SEA<\/span>The 2019-2020 fish spawning aggregation monitoring season<\/div>

was completed by COBI in Mexico, at Niche Habin and El Faro sites; by SEA in Belize at Gladden Spit & Silk Cayes Marine Reserve; and by CORAL in Honduras at Power\u2019s Point and Texas sites.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Summary of workshops with users of the Cayman Crown 2021 <\/a><\/div>

brought together fishers from the three countries that share the tri-national area to increase participation in management, assess on-site use perceptions, gather their recommendations, and lay groundwork to establishing a trinational, multisectoral committee for future participatory management and decision making.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The socio-economic status of coastal communities related to the Cayman Crown<\/a><\/div>

a baseline study resulting from a socio-economic survey conducted in 2021.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/b><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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2021 Eco audit<\/a><\/div>

from Cayman Crown and nearby FSA sites<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A five-year Management Plan (2021-2026)<\/a><\/div>

was developed for the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, including Cayman Crown, in Belize.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by TIDE.<\/span>Binational characterization and monitoring of FSAs took place in the Cayman Crown Reef from 2021 to 2022 with TIDE and FUNDAECO<\/div>

\u00a0took place from 2021 to 2022 with TIDE and FUNDAECO.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The 2020-2021 FSA monitoring season<\/div>

\u00a0was completed by partners COBI in Mexico at Niche Habin, San Juan, and Blanquizal; and by CORAL in Honduras at Power\u2019s Point, Sandy Bay, Texas, and Cordelia Banks.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Eight environmental education workshops<\/div>

were implemented in the Caribbean communities of Guatemala. <\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A budget and financial strategy and action plan <\/div>

for the sustainability of the protected areas in Belize and Guatemala was developed and tailored to the specific conditions, characteristics, and policies of each country.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Socioeconomic assessment of the Honduran communities that traditionally fish in the Cayman Crown reef<\/a><\/div>

evaluated the dependency of Honduran fishers on the Cayman Crown reef to gain insights into the socioeconomic context of fishers in Honduran communities linked to Cayman Crown.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation and TIDE<\/a><\/div>

signed to strengthen the management and conservation of the SCMR, particularly of Zone IV which includes Cayman Crown and FSA sites within the SCMR, Nicholas Caye and Rise and Fall Bank<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Field Emergency Protocol and Contingency Plan<\/a><\/div>

\u00a0with precautionary measures to prevent incidents, that integrates a security and communication protocol, an emergency plan, and a contingency plan for diving incidents.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A workshop to strengthen the capacity of judicial officers from Guatemala and a regional exchange with judicial officers from the MAR region<\/a><\/div>

to share experiences of compliance with environmental judicial management was held in Guatemala.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Cayman Crown Reef: Characterization and Reef Health Changes Between 2019 and 2021, Phase II report,<\/a><\/div>

reported results using the AGRRA protocol to determine the Reef health Index, the use of photomosaics, biophysical indicators, the analysis of the local effects of climate change (both temperature and pH), coral disease, bleaching and its impacts on the Cayman Crown reef.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Cayman Crown \u2013 Communicating the scientific findings of the jewel of the MAR, Phase III report<\/a><\/div>

includes a consolidation of information gathered at Cayman Crown from all three phases.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A video of the Results of Cayman Crown ecological characterization by HRHP <\/a><\/div>

by HRHP<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Find the Whales game <\/a><\/div>

was launched in 2023 and developed into a mobile and computer app with animated ocean conservation content of the MAR. The game is an educational platform that can be used worldwide in English and Spanish. It is played in the Mesoamerican Region, the U.S., Canada, and other countries.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The 2022 Mesoamerican Reef Report Card by HRHP. <\/a><\/div>

by the Healthy Reef Initiative.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Essential Report Card for the Mesoamerican Reef, Evaluation of Ecosystem Health \u2013 2022 State of the reef by HRHP <\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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An MoU between the Ministry and Blue Economy and Civil Aviation and TIDE <\/a><\/div>

to strengthen the management and conservation of the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, including Cayman Crown.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Technical Cooperation Agreement (2022-2027) between DIPESCA and FUNDAECO<\/a><\/div>

to implement activities to ensure the sustainability of fisheries of common interest (sea cucumber, shark, shrimp, rays) and the conservation and protection of diverse ecosystems of connectivity, specifically the reefs on the Guatemalan Atlantic.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Technical Report on Lobster Landing Monitoring, by FUNDAECO<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Letter of Understanding between the National Protected Area Council (CONAP) and FUNDAECO<\/a><\/div>

to coordinate actions for the adequate development of a diagnosis of the coastal marine area of the Punta Manabique Wildlife Refuge.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Abundance and distribution of sea cucumber in the Guatemalan Caribbean<\/a><\/div>

a baseline data to determine the sea cucumber\u2019s closed season calendar dates resulting from sea cucumber monitoring developed by FUDNAECO.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The 2020 \u2013 2022 FSA site characterization and monitoring report for Cayman Crown<\/a><\/div>

evaluates the location of potential spawning aggregations and characterizes the fish communities observed at these sites, with particular emphasis on commercial species such as snappers, groupers, jacks, and grunts.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The 2021-2022 fish spawning aggregation monitoring season was completed<\/div>

by partners COBI in Mexico at Niche Habin, San Juan, and Blanquizal sites; SEA in Belize at Gladden Spit & Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, and CORAL in Honduras at Sandy Bay, Man O\u2019 War, and Cordelia Banks sites.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Nineteen environmental education workshops<\/div>

were implemented by FUNDAECO in the Caribbean communities of Guatemala.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Marine megafauna monitoring<\/div>

in Cayman Crown, Cabo Tres Puntas,and adjacent areas by FUNDAECO, resulting in 13 sightings, including dolphins, rays, and nurse sharks.<\/p>

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A co-management agreement <\/a><\/div>

for the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve was signed by the Belize Fisheries Department and TIDE.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Gentleman\u2019s agreement for joint patrols<\/div>

at the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, including Cayman Crown, was established by the Belize Coast Guard and TIDE.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Diagnosis of the Punta Manabique Wildlife Refuge and Cayman Crown<\/a><\/div>

was completed In Guatemala, to allow the development of a management plan for the area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A regional data sharing workshop<\/a><\/div>

with Mar Fish partners in Mexico where sixteen partners shared updates of the FSA sites monitored and provided next step action for the project. <\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Hunting Caye station in Belize was renovated and equipped<\/div>

\u00a0to allow the accommodation of the research and surveillance teams at the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, as the closest point to the Cayman Crown site.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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144 sites within the Cayman Crown and adjacent areas were surveyed by HRHP<\/div>

\u00a0and completed the third Cayman Crown field monitoring expedition for ecological characterization, including AGRRA monitoring, habitat map validation, seawater temperature, pH, coral bleaching, and acoustic data collection.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) training<\/div>

was conducted by HRHP with 53 participants from the region.
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The reef health monitoring expedition <\/div>

expedition was conducted by HRHP from May to August 2023 in the four MAR country sites, the Cayman Crown area, and nearby fish spawning aggregation (FSA) sites.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Strategies for alternative income diversification activities for fishing communities<\/div>

have been developed in the three countries of the Gulf of Honduras.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by TIDE.<\/span>Surveillance patrols were carried out in the Cayman Crown area<\/div>

25 in Guatemala by FUNDAECO, and 18 in the Belize area by TIDE<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by FUNDAECO<\/span>FUNDAECO implemented a total of 23 environmental education workshops in fishing communities from three protected areas of the Guatemalan Caribbean<\/div>

(Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge, Rio Dulce National Park, Rio Sarst\u00fan Multiple Use Protected Area) and Livingston. A total of 977 people (519 women and 458 men) between the ages of 12-45 participated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by FUNDAECO.<\/span>Marine megafauna monitoring<\/div>

in Cayman Crown, Cabo Tres Puntas, and adjacent areas by FUNDAECO, resulted in 15 sightings, including dolphins, rays, a blue marlin, and a nurse shark.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by COBI.<\/span>COBI completed five FSA monitoring seasons between 2019 and 2023<\/div>

collecting a total of 908 days of acoustic data.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by COBI.<\/span>The 2022-2023 FSA monitoring seasons were completed by partners COBI<\/div>

in Mexico at Niche Habin, San Juan, and Blanquizal sites; by SEA in Belize at Gladden Spit &Silk Cayes Marine Reserve; and by CORAL in Honduras at Power\u2019s Point, Man O\u2019War, and Cordelia Banks.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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*Photography by TIDE.<\/span>The 2022-2023 FSA site characterization and monitoring field expeditions <\/div>

were completed by TIDE at four multi-species aggregation sites: the Jewel Wall and the West Bezel Fisher Marker in Cayman Crown and at Nicholas Caye and Rise and Fall Bank at the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve in Belize.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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An FSA regional platform was developed to host FSA data collected since 2019 by the MAR Fish partners<\/div>

and allow regional analysis of the sites to provide informed science-based information to improve the management of the protected areas network.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A regional workshop training on standard techniques and protocols for monitoring aggregations was conducted in Belize with 19 participants from the region.<\/div>

where 19 participants from the region participated.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Three community fisher associations were legally registered from three communities<\/div>

\u00a0in Honduras were legally registered and began income diversification projects to reduce their fishing effort .<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A public-private investment plan on economic alternatives was developed<\/div>

for three communities that fish in Cayman Crown in Guatemala.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> \n

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