Mexico Baja California Sur blue and brown shrimp – bottom trawl/cast net

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Overview

The Magdalena Bay shrimp FIP started in 2010 in collaboration with Tai Foong USA and the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP). The project leadership was transferred to Northern Chef in January 2014. 

The Pacific Ocean is the most productive fishing area in Mexico, providing approximately 75 percent of seafood catch by volume, and accounting for most of the country’s seafood exports by value. Shrimp in the northwest Pacific coast of Mexico is the most important fishery in Mexico. It has the highest economic value of landings, averaging $260 million. It is also the highest-ranked fishery in terms of the number of vessels (750 bottom trawlers and about 18,000 small-scale vessels) and the number of direct jobs (37,000 direct jobs as well as 75,000 indirect ones). It places third in terms of volume with annual captures of approximately 50,000 tons during the fishing season which begins in September and runs through March.

The Magdalena Bay shrimp fishery generates annual landings of 3 million pounds with a value of $15 million USD. Seventy percent of the total landings are brown shrimp and 30 percent are Pacific blue shrimp. The fishery operates with 27-foot-long vessels equipped with outboard motors. In the case of brown shrimp, the vessels are equipped with a 35-foot head rope bottom trawl. For blue shrimp, the gear utilized is the Suripera, a modified cast net. In both cases, the fishing unit is operated by two fishermen who conduct daily trips, usually nocturnal for brown shrimp and diurnal for blue shrimp.

The fishery is regulated by the Mexican Official Standard NOM-002-SAG/PESC-2013 which establishes access controls (fishing licenses and concessions) and fishing gear and fishing grounds restrictions. CONAPESCA opens and closes the fishing season according to the scientific advice provided by INAPESCA which has a continuing monitoring program on shrimp stocks. The most recent abundance estimates indicate that both stocks yields are above the historic averages which confirm the recovery trends.

In October 2017, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program published a new report and recommendations on Mexican wild shrimp, giving the fishery a Good Alternative recommendation. The new recommendations for blue shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris) can be found here and for the brown shrimp (Penaeus californiensis) can be found here.

FIP Description 

The Magdalena Bay shrimp FIP started in 2010 in collaboration with Tai Foong USA and the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP). The project leadership was transferred to Northern Chef in January 2014. 

FIP Objective(s) 

General Objective:

By the end of 2023, the FIP aims to comply with the MSC indicators for sustainable fisheries fully.  

This FIP is also working towards completing the following objectives:

  • By the end of 2022, a continuous assessment of the shrimp populations targeted by the fishery is implemented. 
  • By the end of 2023, the fishery's environmental impacts are maintained at documented levels.
  • By the end of 2023, the supply chain will achieve full compliance with fishery regulations.
FIP Type 
Basic
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
September 2010
December 2023
Update 
Due to the pandemic caused by COVID 19, many of the actions carried out had to be stopped. Some of them still cannot be carried out for health safety reasons, but others actions have been resumed in their entirety. For this reason, the completion date changed, making the necessary adjustments for each of the objectives and their timing. Subject to the side effects of the pandemic, the end date is contemplated to be December 2023.
Next Progress Report Due 
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Brown Shrimp
Scientific Name
Penaeus californiensis
Common Name 
Blue Shrimp
Scientific Name
Penaeus stylirostris
Gear Type 
Bottom Trawl
Cast Net
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Mexico
Geographic Scope 
Bahia Magdalena-Almejas system Southern Baja California
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
99 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
525 metric tons
Landings Date 
May 2023
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
September 01, 2010
46% 25% 14% 14%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF

B Good Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.

  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Apr 2024
Target End Date
Dec 2023
Additional Impacts:
Roundtable

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Tai Foong USA
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Jeff Lam
Organization Name 
Victor Vargas Lopez
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Victor Vargas López
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
7142