Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of the coronavirus as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Bay of Sechura has been adversely affected, causing considerable damage to the economy of sea-farmers.
For this reason, strategies have been designed so that the activities proposed in the project “Increasing Sechura Bay’s systems of efficient and sustainable production of the hydrobiological resources in terms of equality”, which is being implemented by Social Promotion Foundation in consortium with the Rural School of Education and Health (ESCAES) and financed by the Community of Madrid, can be resumed.
Thus, on November 2, and in accordance with the six-monthly planning and the schedule of activities associated with the results, a work plan was drawn up in seven coves in the Bay of Sechura, taking into account economic, social and environmental sustainability. In this way, 15 associations of sea fishermen have been selected and coordination meetings have been held with their leaders, having taken into account for their evaluation criteria such as the formalization, both of the association and the production area, and the participation of women as the axis of development in productive activities.
Likewise, bio-oceanographic monitoring is being carried out in the production areas of the fishermen’s associations in coves of Matacaballo and Constante, and it is planned to do so soon in Chulliyachi, Las Delicias, Parachique, Vichayo and Puerto Rico. The objective is to precisely determine the specific areas and select the spaces that meet the optimum bio-oceanographic conditions for the installation of the fan-shell culture modules in the suspended system and the handling of fine clams in the bottom system. To this end, surveys and stock assessments of the resources under cultivation have been carried out, and biological samples have been analysed in the Laboratory for the Analysis of Samples and Marine Research at ESCAES in Sechura.
Finally, on 20 November, the NGO ESCAES launched the project in the auditorium of the Provincial Municipality of Sechura, before the authorities of the sector and seafood farmers in the coves of Sechura Bay, and in compliance with the health safety protocol. During the event, the proposals for the implementation of comprehensive strategies to improve production processes and aquaculture diversification were presented, promoting greater participation of women in all processes, becoming leaders of social and economic development in their sector.