Shrimp capture in Mexico It is a fundamental pillar for the economy of the fishing sector. According to data from Study of Perception of Fish and Seafood Consumption in Mexicoprepared by GlobeScan and the organization Impacto Colectivo, Mexicans’ favorite seafood is shrimphim followed by tuna, salmon and tilapia. Our country exports more than 32 thousand tons of shrimp, according to SADER numbers; The value of this production is estimated at more than 304 million dollars. This fishery on the high seas alone in 2020 reached 29 thousand tons, however, statistics show a downward decrease over the last five years. This size is the importance of this species.
The challenge for the riverside fishermen Even greater, overcoming the challenges they currently face are what will define whether the shrimp catch It has a promising future. Before the increasingly adverse effects of climate changeit is essential that the men of the sea are aware and migrate to low environmental impact practices, in addition to avoiding illegal capture.
In the 2020-2021 season in Mexico a capture of 35,309 tons of shrimp, 19 thousand of which correspond to small or artisanal fleets. Hence the importance of our coastal communities carrying out a sustainable fishing, which reduce the impact on the environment and avoid overexploitation of the product. One of the main characteristics of the fishing sustainable craft is that the boats use less fuel, since they only turn on the engine to get to where the capture point will be, taking advantage of the wind and tide to remove the shrimp. In addition to this, they only use ice to preserve the crustacean before returning to land and, in Sinaloa, a net invented by fishermen that is highly selective is used, the so-called suripera, which prevents bycatch. Although there are many benefits, the biggest challenge is convincing fishing communities of the importance of these sustainable practices and what they can benefit from.
Another important point, widely debated by different national and international non-governmental organizations, is the urgency of regulating the traceability of products to combat illegal fishing, we are still waiting for the necessary step to be taken legislatively to achieve this. But being sustainable has a cost and requires an investment, this is where there is greater resistance from fishermen as they have to allocate part of their profit on adequate nets, life jackets (required by the certifiers), optimal stainless steel areas for decapping. shrimp, among others.
Hand in hand with these practices, in Sinaloa We must recognize two companies that are raffling off sustainable artisanal fishing and that are examples: Del Pacífico Seafoods and Marativa, which have the Fair Trade certification that is granted to companies that verify that their products are sustainable, with supply chains. transparent supply, offering safe working conditions and caring for the environment.
Hopefully little by little more companies will be encouraged to support small fishermen, guiding them and inviting them to change the way they work. Communities also need to learn to communicate to their consumers the differences between artisanal shrimp and that produced industrially. As consumers, our task is to be more aware and appreciate these seafood products that are obtained sustainably. Only in this way can we guarantee that future generations can also enjoy a good aguachile, a cocktail and a ceviche with the best shrimp in the world, the Mexican one. .
More from the same author:
#challenge #shrimp #fishing #sustainability