April 26, 2012

Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa) will initiate the temporary closure for the capture of shrimp species in regions within the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

A fishing ban will also enter into force from May 20 until November 7, 2012 in the marine waters of the fishing grounds of Contoy, and from May 1 to September 30 this year in the coastal strip in front of the states of Campeche and Tabasco, for the fishery of Atlantic seabob with smaller vessels.

Sagarpa also ordered a temporary ban for the capture of all the existing species of shrimp in the estuarine lagoon systems under federal jurisdiction in the Gulf of Mexico, from May 10 until June 24, 2012, from the mouth of the river Bravo to the river Coatzacoalcos.

Besides, a temporary ban was set from May 1 to September 30, 2012 in the estuarine lagoon systems of the state of Tabasco, and the permanent ban on shrimp fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, including the coastal strip from zero to 15 miles from the coastline, from Aguada Island (Campeche), to the borders with Belize, covering the lagoons and coastal areas in the Yucatan peninsula, except for the fishing grounds of Contoy.

In March, Sagarpa ordered the ban on fishing for all the shrimp species that exist in the marine waters under federal jurisdiction of the Pacific Ocean.

The affected area includes marine waters, estuarine lagoon systems, marshes and bays of the states of Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima.