This study shows the emergence of new framings in public policies and actions in the socio-technical system of the Octopus fishery in the Yucatan peninsula. The socio-technical fishery system in the region is subject to growing socio-economic and environmental pressures that threaten both the sustainability of the fishery resource and development opportunities for local communities. The study focuses on the case of the Mayan octopus, one of the high value endemic species in the region that has often been a source of conflict between fishermen. Its sustainability is at high risk because it has been overexploited and faces other environmental threats. The study identifies a set of recent government interventions to support the sustainability of the fishery based on some Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) activities. These activities have opened participatory spaces for discussion, learning and reflection, to highlight the lack of sustainability of dominant practices in the socio-technical system of the Octopus fishery and propose some alternative changes. The findings of this case provide some transformative elements that might facilitate the transition to a new regime for the socio-technical fishery system. These elements address both the sustainability of the Octopus fishery and environmental protection of the aquatic life, as well as improvement in the economics and working conditions of the fishermen involved in the regional activity.
