Mexico‘s frozen shrimp exports totaled US$161 million in the first half of 2022, an increase of 31.3% annually, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture (Sader).
At the end of April 2021, the United States suspended shrimp imports from Mexico, claiming that Mexican fishermen were not protecting sea turtles in Mexico. These shipments were then reactivated in May 2022.
As a result of the actions developed by the Mexican government regarding the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), on October 19, 2021, a formal communication was received from the U.S. government, notifying the certification of Mexican shrimp for export to the U.S. market and eliminating trade restrictions on that product.
After a TED verification visit in March 2022 in Puerto Chiapas, Chiapas and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, on May 13, 2022 a notice was published in the U.S. Federal Register determining that Mexico’s TED program is comparable to that of the United States, so wild shrimp caught in Mexico was recertified to enter the U.S. market.
In 2019, Mexican exports of frozen shrimp were US$429 million, while in the following two years they totaled US$339 million and US$287 million, respectively.
Frozen shrimp
In 2021, in coordination with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the REBYC-LAC II project was concluded, whose objective was to conduct research on sustainable management of bycatch in the shrimp trawl fishery and add value to the products of this bycatch.
The results were presented to the fishing sector, academia, federal government and FAO personnel through webinars.
In compliance with INAPESCA‘s main function, which is to conserve aquatic resources, the Pacific Shrimp program was carried out on the Pacific slope and sampling was conducted in the lagoon systems of Marismas Nacionales and the Nayarit shore zone, five sampling campaigns of shrimp landings in the lagoon systems of: Ensenada del Pabellon, Santa Maria, Navachiste, Topolobampo Ohuira, Huizache-Caimanero and Chametla, in Sinaloa and, daily sampling of shrimp discharge in two freezing plants in Mazatlan, Sinaloa.
A shrimp research cruise was also conducted on the coast of Sinaloa from November 17 to 26, 2021.
In order to raise awareness among coastal fishermen on the care and protection of sea turtles, through the proper and efficient use of shrimp fishing gear, the «Plan of actions to raise awareness on the interaction of sea turtles used in small boats» was implemented, training 1,840 people between September 2021 and June 2022, through courses-workshops for crew members of small boats, located in the states of Baja California Sur, Campeche, Sinaloa and Sonora.
