Introduction:

The Value Rescue Model (VRM) is an innovative approach to transform the seafood value chain. It empowers small-scale fishing cooperatives in Mexico to adopt sustainable practices and access higher-paying markets. By focusing on quality, local processing, and product differentiation, the VRM enables these cooperatives to negotiate fairer prices and improve their economic viability. This model fosters marine conservation, socioeconomic development, and sustainable supply chains.   

The Challenge:

Small-scale fishers in Mexico often operate in a complex system that pressures them to prioritize catch volume over resource management and quality. This is compounded by the short-term costs of implementing sustainable fishing practices and the difficulties in enforcing those practices consistently. Additionally, inadequate infrastructure and limited market access leave fishers with few options but to sell their catch at low prices to intermediaries, further devaluing their products.   

The Solution:

The VRM aims to transform this complex system into a positive feedback loop. It promotes better supply chain efficiency, higher seafood quality through infrastructure investments, and improved food safety measures. By building business capacity within fishing organizations, the VRM strengthens their position in negotiations with buyers seeking sustainable products.   

Why this matters:

The VRM directly addresses the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 14.B by empowering small-scale fishers to access better-paying markets and offering consumers environmentally sustainable, socially responsible, and fully traceable premium-quality seafood. It also addresses the inefficiencies and misaligned incentives of the complex small-scale fisheries value chain and serves as a model for effective and sustainable fishing practices.

Results and impact:

The project has achieved significant successes:

• The annual volume of sustainable seafood sold has nearly tripled, increasing from 24.5 tons to 71.3 tons, generating 11.7 million Mexican pesos in revenue.   
• The VRM has expanded significantly, going from 6 to 15 participating cooperatives, and the model itself has been transferred to 3 new NGOs.   
• An impressive 771 individuals, 35 of which are women, have received training in fisheries optimization, business management, and value-added processing.   
• Five new processing plants have been installed, leading to the creation of 52 new jobs, with women occupying 75% of those positions.   
• The project has facilitated a significant increase in fisher landing prices, ranging from 7% to 228%, and cooperative earnings have risen by 44% to 55%.   

Replicate and scale-up:

The VRM holds great potential for replication in other small-scale fisheries globally. This can be achieved through partnerships with NGOs and international organizations. SmartFish is actively working to transfer the model and build a community of practice to share knowledge and best practices.   

Lessons learned:

Transferring the VRM effectively involves hands-on training and ongoing support to local partner organizations, who also need the flexibility and capacity to adapt the model to their specific contexts. This project also confirmed the connection between access to preferential markets and sustainability. When buyer’s demand the use of selective fishing gear, a traceability system, and compliance with best onboard practices, such market requirements can support the adoption of more sustainable practices by the fishers, as long as the purchase price adequately compensates for these changes.