Research project at UPRM documents the state of fishing villages in PR

The lead researchers of the proposal, from left, Dr. Manuel Valdés Pizzini and Dr. Ariam L. Torres Cordero, at the El Docky fishing village in Mayagüez.

By The Star Staff

A new project titled The Dilemma of Fishing Villages in Puerto Rico: Abandonment, Displacement, and Resilience seeks to shed light on the historical and contemporary challenges faced by the fishing communities of the Puerto Rican archipelago.

This research effort, funded by the Puerto Rico Sea Grant program and based at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM), will examine the impacts of changing coastal land use, conflicts over coastal access, the effects of climate change, and the ways in which commercial fishers have resisted and adapted to new realities. Through fieldwork, interviews, historical archives, and community collaboration, the study aims to document these experiences of resilience and collective struggle in the face of dispossession.

“For decades, fishing villages in Puerto Rico have been key spaces for artisanal fishing and the local coastal economy. However, many of them now face institutional neglect, displacement pressures from development and coastal tourism projects, as well as serious climate threats. The proposal recognizes them not only as physical infrastructures but also as sociocultural spaces fundamental to coastal life in Puerto Rico,” stated Dr. Manuel Valdés Pizzini, principal investigator and professor emeritus at UPRM.

The initiative, developed by the Interdisciplinary Coastal Studies Center (CIEL) of the UPRM Department of Social Sciences, also includes the collaboration of Jannette Ramos García and Emmanuel Maldonado González, who have extensive experience in Puerto Rico’s fishing sector. Fishers, community leaders, grassroots organizations, and other subject experts such as Dr. Edwin Asencio, director of the Department of Social Sciences at UPRM, will also participate.

“This project seeks to honor the living memory of fishing villages, recognizing their cultural and economic value. Documenting their struggles and hopes is an essential step toward promoting fairer public policies for our fishers and their communities,” said Dr. Ariam L. Torres Cordero, assistant professor at the Graduate School of Planning at UPR-Río Piedras, researcher of the proposal, and CIEL collaborator.

In addition to academic research, the team will develop educational, visual, and narrative materials to highlight the stories and demands of fishing communities. Among the products are a community digital map, a traveling exhibition, and a report with public policy recommendations for the protection and revitalization of fishing villages.