Tulum Fishing Cooperative to Mark 45th Anniversary With Leadership Change

Tulum, Quintana Roo — The Pescadores de Tulum fishing cooperative will celebrate its 45th anniversary on June 23 with a change in leadership, the organization’s president announced.

Ramiro Pech Balam said the cooperative, legally established on June 23, 1981, remains one of the oldest and most enduring fishing groups in the municipality despite decades of economic and tourism-driven change.

The cooperative started with 40 members and operated in what is now known as Playa Pescadores, a stretch of beach that for years served as the workplace for numerous fishing families.

However, the cooperative lost that land after facing obstacles in developing tourism projects that would have boosted members’ income, Pech Balam said.

“We had a project to build 18 cabins, but they imposed too many limitations and requirements that drove up costs without allowing us to move forward. Finally we chose to sell the land,” he recalled.

New tourism developments, along with bureaucratic hurdles and restrictions under previous administrations, eventually made it difficult for the group to remain on that coastal area, he added.

Over more than four decades, the cooperative has also seen many members leave fishing for other jobs tied to Tulum’s tourism growth.

Today, the cooperative has 30 active members, 22 assistants, and a fleet of 15 boats, maintaining its status as a traditional fishing organization in the area.

Pech Balam has led the cooperative at various times since 1990, alternating with other leaders who have also shaped the group’s history.

One of the biggest challenges facing the fishermen is the lack of a dedicated space to park vehicles, store boats, and keep equipment, forcing them to pay daily parking fees at hotels and lots along the coast.

Although authorities have made a pending promise to address the issue, Pech Balam said he is optimistic after recent talks with the new director of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp).

The 45th anniversary celebration will be modest due to the fishing sector’s current economic difficulties, but it will serve to recognize the perseverance and work of those who have kept the cooperative alive for more than four decades in Tulum.