The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishery and Foods (SAGARPA) will petition the US to arrange a new inspection of the shrimp fisher fleet in a bid to restore Mexican shrimp certification.

Some days ago, the US State Department denied Mexico the certification to export wild shrimp to that country in considering that it does not utilise protection measures for marine turtles during trawler fishing.

The shrimp fisher embargo is expected to enter into force next 20 April.

According to the head of SAGARPA, Francisco Mayorga Castaneda, wild shrimp exports generate USD 300 million, which "is a significant amount." In addition, he emphasised that "there are many jobs behind it."

According to the official, "work is being done intensely on two fronts" to solve the problem. One of them is the negotiation with the US so that it once again inspects the shrimp fisher fleet to restore certification as rapidly as possible.

The other aspect has to do with a more in-depth reconstruction of the sector,“because it is a fact that worldwide farmed shrimp production is growing, whereas that of shrimp capture is decreasing,” Mayorga added.

SAGARPA Chief Francisco Mayorga Castaneda.

The top official at SAGARPA affirmed that the Mexican shrimp fisher fleet must reassess its future and find out how it can operate more efficiently.

It is necessary to respect “environmental questions, which every day have more weight before governments and consumers. Consumers are not only interested in the quality and price of foods, but in the manner in which they arrive at their table and if they perceive that it does not have compatibility with the environment, they begin to reject them,” he continued explaining.

It is very intense work “but that which is already being made and the producer organisations are aware of it,” he emphasised.

Mayorga assured that the majority of shrimp fisher vessels respect the norms in matters of turtle exclusion. “The proof is that the population of turtles has been growing significantly, perhaps a single species remains that can be considered in danger of extinction, but the others have increased their population,” he said in declarations to Notimex.

"Perhaps the inspection could be done in the month of May, so that we can work without any problem the following season. That is the objective, and the possibility that they once again certify us is quite high,”he added.

Meanwhile, the director of the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (CONAPESCA), Ramon Corral Avila, clarified that the non-certification will only affect shrimp that are caught off shore, which represents between 20 per cent and 25 per cent of national production.

That is, the US embargo will not be applied to farmed shrimp nor to those that coastal fishermen catch with pangas (small boats).

"The export season is practically at its end and we can still export the product until before 24 April. We feel that the negative effect, if we are granted certification again, will be minimal, and we are working with producers on that strategy,” Corral Avila concluded.

Related articles:

- Shrimp producers question US embargo
- US bars Mexican shrimp

By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com