Mariano Panta and his reinvention thanks to the sea of Illescas

Photo: Nick Torres / SPDA

His grandfather and father passed on their interest in the sea to him. For many years, Mariano Panta was involved in artisanal and industrial fishing, until the pandemic hit and he came up with a new business idea that neither his father nor other relatives in the fishing industry shared: to set up a fleet of small yacht-type boats to offer tourist trips to different areas of the coast of Sechura, Piura, one of the most attractive being the Illescas National Reserve.

After a brief visit to the Ballestas Islands in Paracas, due to a problem with a boat, Mariano came up with the idea of replicating these tours. Thus, “Yate Sechura” was born, offering tours to Punta Bayovar, Punta Aguja, and Illescas. In the latter area, the main attractions are the presence of sea lions and penguins, as well as whale sightings, a situation that Panta was familiar with from his past as a fisherman and which has become one of the biggest attractions when organizing his trips with the tourists who hire his services.

With the economic recovery after the first waves of the pandemic, Mariano began his trips with friends, who supported him by taking photos and videos to promote his business through social media. Along with his growth as an entrepreneur, Panta developed a greater awareness and respect for the conservation of marine species and is now self-critical of certain actions on the part of fishermen: throwing fuel and oil into the sea, as well as discarding containers that end up stranded on the beaches of Illescas.

Mariano is currently part of a group of volunteers invited by the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (Sernanp) to help clean up the reserve’s pristine beaches. His goal is to get more fishermen involved so they can learn about the importance of conserving Illescas.

Photo: Nick Torres / SPDA

As part of the BAF: Mar 2025 project, developed by the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Peru, Sernanp, and with the support of the Blue Action Fund, Mariano, along with a group of fishermen and tour operators from Bayovar who work in the Illescas National Reserve, are part of a group that has been formalized in tourism and trained to implement sustainable tourism. They have also been educated on the importance of conserving this area through talks, workshops, and volunteer beach cleanups.

For Mariano Panta, this type of awareness is important, as it will lead to improvements in the reserve and, with that, a greater number of tourists. This fisherman, who reinvented himself during the pandemic, believes that the union of different guilds is the only way to achieve both the conservation of the pristine beaches he travels to on his yachts and their economic exploitation. The goal is to leave behind a territory rich in biodiversity that can be enjoyed by future generations.