The Fishing Economy of Lake Cocibolca

Viva Nicaragua! and two of our interns met with an organization of 50 small-scale fishermen who live on and fish around the isletas of lake Cocibolca. These fishermen come from families who have always fished, and it is their only way of making a living. Many do not have motors for their rustic wooden boats and very few fish with nets (limiting their catch and ability to compete and earn enough to support their families). They sell their fish to intermediaries, who in tern sell the fish to vendors in the market, who ultimately set the price. The goals of the organization are to purchase larger boats with motors, acquire nets for all member to improve their catch, and eventually obtain direct market access in order to increase their earnings.

Living on the isletas, they very isolated from the mainland. Many adults never studied and cannot read and write. Children who do study now must travel daily by boat to get to school. Their is a health outpost on the mainland with a doctor on staff once a week. Volunteers and interns willing to work with these communities on literacy campaings, tutoring, teaching, and health are needed.

We are also looking for inters to give workshops on sustainable harvesting of fish (how to not overfish, why there are catch limits, etc.) and to do a socio-economic study of fishermen on the island to determine their catch, income, living conditions, etc. in order to write a proposal to get grants or revolving loans to help improve the health and living conditions of these families.

Please contact us for more information!