During this research trip, we mainly interviewed artisanal fishers throughout Yucatán to understand their perspectives on the viability of potential climate change adaptations.

During one of our excursions, we travelled by boat to the neighbouring state of Campeche. A local tour guide shared local knowledge and his perspective on fishing and ecotourism—what people in this remote region depend on for their livelihoods.

He took us past the mangroves where we saw this group of flamingos. There were several other tour boats in the area, local tours take tourists out here multiple times a day to watch the flamingos feed along the mangroves.

He also stopped by a few fishers he knew to say hello, they were fishing in shallow water and showed us the crab they had caught. People here depend on the ocean’s resource so much so that some fishers have to resort to fishing using illegal techniques to make ends meet—a common and reluctant reality for some artisanal fishers.

Finally, the tour guide took us to a small island where Mayan pottery washes up to shore. This was an incredibly unique and remote place that we were lucky to see.

Here are more photos from this experience…