Mexico's Campeche suffers fishing crisis blow

MEXICO CITY
Petroleumworld.com, Nov 10, 2009

The Campeche fishing sector is experiencing one of its worst moments due to a 36 per cent fall in the octopus catch volume and a 70 per cent plunge in shrimp sales. In addition, the 15 days of extension to the ongoing shrimping ban and the damage caused by the contamination generated by Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in Campeche have aggravated an already serious situation.

As a result of fewer octopus captures, the state fishing industry also faces losses upwards of MXN 20 million (USD 1.4 million), Tribuna reports.

According to leaders of the National Fishing and Aquaculture Industry Chamber (CANAINPESCA) and fishers associations, this situation affects more than 5,000 coastal workers and shrimp fishers.

Meanwhile, the prolongation of the shrimp prohibition affects the 260 active-duty fishermen and peddlers.

The fishers warn that “around 500 people will not have anything to eat over these 15 days, because the shipowner does not have money to lend out either.”

According to Rafael Brown Ruiz, national leader of CANAINPESCA, the crisis is magnified by the increase in supplies costs, which puts the profitability of the shrimp fisher fleet and petroleum sector at risk.

“If the situation does not change, the shrimp fisher fleet can disappear, and this is the product of a variety of circumstances, ranging from fishing area restrictions to the illegal capture of shrimp, without sidesteping the increase in costs, especially of diesel,” Ruiz Moreno maintained.

In terms of the Campeche octopus sector, landings descended more than 1,500 tonnes compared to last year.

Meanwhile, PEMEX is responsible for closing the catch areas of 38,000 sq km in the Gulf of Mexico, which compounds the sector crisis due to the consequential depredation of species on the coasts and in breeding zones.

As far as the decision of the National Fisheries Institute (INP) to postpone the start of the shrimp fishing season, the captain of a shrimping vessel said: “The situation is critical because there is not enough to come out ahead, and with the contamination and the areas restricted by PEMEX, the impact is greater.”

The fishing authorities trust that the extension of the prohibition will help to improve the catch rates over the next few days, but, according to some fishers, “the damage is done.”

“We do not expect good production, particularly now that the commercialisation price is down in the dumps,” a shrimp fisher complained.

Story by Analia Murias from www.fis.com
Fis.com 11/10/2009

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