Grupo Puntacana, through its Punta Cana Ecological Foundation, Cap Cana, Fishing Lodge and the Fishing and Aquiculture Council (Codopesca) have signed an agreement to train and organize fishermen on the east coast of the Dominican Republic and create alternatives to fishing integrated with sustainable tourism. The agreement seeks to implement a Fishery Resources Conservation Plan through an agreement for the co-management of fishing resources along the shoreline, mainly in areas near the tourism and residential developments of Puntacana and Cap Cana, in association with people involved in fishing in the area. The program, which involves the monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing in the region, is backed by research by universities and research institutions in the field. In 2004, the Grupo Puntacana created the Alliance for Economically Sustainable Fishing Areas (PESCA), a long-term project that seeks the continued development of the region and the welfare of coastal areas and coral reefs.