Social networks, market transactions, and reputation as a central resource. The Mercado del Mar, a fish market in central Mexico

Abstract

Fish consumption in Mexico is considered low (around 12 kg per person per year) and nonhomogeneously distributed across the country. One of the reasons for this situation is the scarcity of wholesale selling sites. In this context, the Mercado del Mar (MM), located in Guadalajara city, Jalisco, is the second biggest wholesale fish market in Mexico, with a distribution of about 500 tons per day and a variety of about 350 different species of fish. In this paper, we argue that MM has accumulated social capital, which is formed from two main resources: buyer and seller relationships, and reputation.