The manjúa, an unkwown fishery in Guatemala
The manjúa fishery, is one of Guatemala's most important fisherys, due to its role in the food security of a major part of the country.
Manjúa, sardina, pepesca, pupos or pescaditos are the names given to several species of anchovies and anchovetas fished in the Caribbean waters of Guatemala. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
In the Bay of Amatique, in Guatemala's Caribbean, some 600 fishermen fish for manjúa, a species of sardine that is very important for the area's marine ecosystem. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
Guatemalan fishing authorities have initiated a registration process for fishermen, a strategy to better manage fisheries resources in a more sustainable way. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
Many of the manjúa fishermen belong to the Maya Q'eqchi' indigenous community, and rely on this fishery as their only source of income. Photo: Emerson Díaz
Manjúa fishing is a family fishery, in which fishermen, from young children to grandparents and older adults participate. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
After extracting the manjúa, fishermen add salt as part of the drying process before they sell the product. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
At the end of the fishing day, each sardinero unloads the product, already salted, and spreads it on a piece of black plastic to dry it in the sun, and then put it on sale. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
"I started fishing as a child, because my mom and dad used to fish manjúa" says Zoila Castro, a Maya Q'eqchi' fisherwoman, in the Bay of Amatique, in the Caribbean of Guatemala". Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
Patín, or p’aay chú s’aay, is part of the highland farmers’ diet, eaten during their day in the fields. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
P'aay chú s'aay (patín de pescaditos in Maya Tzu'tujil), made with manjúa, is a traditional ancestral dish from the Lake Atitlán area. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
César Aguilar, one of the "original sardineros", shows a typical net for mangrove fishing, whose mesh size endangers the survival of up to 60 other species that inhabit the mangrove. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
Benedicto Cordón is a fisherman from Puerto Barrios who is actively working to improve the living conditions of the fishermen of Puerto Barrios and the management of fish stocks in the bay. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez
The use of non-permitted fishing gear to catch manjúa puts other species at risk: puffer fish, seahorses and other marine animals, among others, which end up as bycatch. Photo: Ángeles Shoenbeck
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