2005/2006 Mexican Shrimp Season Opening Reflects Landmark Sustainability Efforts
Pre-Season Data Drives Staggered Starts for Bay- and Ocean-Bound Boats
San Diego, CA – September 6, 2005 – New long-term sustainability initiatives in the Sea of Cortez will be ushered in with the start of this year’s Mexican shrimp season according to Ocean Garden Products, the leading U.S. importer of Authentic Mexican Shrimp.
The 2005/2006 ocean and bay schedule is based on the evaluation and analysis of shrimp stock reproduction during the pre-season testing period.
Maintaining a traditional commitment to preserving the marine species and the oceans, CONAPESCA, Mexico’s National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission, and area fishermen collaborate to determine optimal season start dates. This season’s start dates are as follows:
* Sept. 4th – Bays in the Guaymas, Los Mochis, Mazatlán areas (bays are fished by small boats called pangas).
* Sept. 20th – Bays in the Upper Gulf area (San Felipe, Puerto Peñasco and Golfo de Santa Clara). Also, all the ocean Pacific coast boats will leave their traditional ports.
* Sept. 28th – The southern bays in the Escuinapa-Nayarit areas.
Ocean Garden, along with the Mexican fisherman and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), entered a groundbreaking agreement on July 28, 2005 to improve the efficiency of the Sea of Cortez fisheries, to stop the unintended catch of the endangered vaquita marina porpoise and to wipe out illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf of California.
In anticipation of the start of the Mexican shrimp season, these groups formalized their commitment to work together to protect the region’s sea life while keeping intact the historic fisheries that support thousands of local families. The pact calls for a ban on large-mesh gill nets, monitoring of the shrimp harvest, establishing a registry of legal fishermen, developing ways to make the fishery more economically viable, and seeking out environmentally-friendly boat engines, among other provisions.
Ocean Garden in August 2005 introduced a comprehensive product traceability program, providing a platform for the elimination of illegal fishing in the Sea of Cortez. In support of the sustainability pact designed to protect the region’s marine life, the quality control system utilizes a unique barcode and electronic database to track a shrimp’s lifecycle from product origin, processing plant, lot and warehouse to truck/shipping method. As a result, seafood buyers can be sure that they are purchasing shrimp from a legal fishery whose practices comply with all U.S. and Mexican environmental regulations as well as the new provisions set forth in the historic sustainability agreement.
“Mexican authorities and fishermen continue to work towards sustainability. The staggered starts of different areas along the entire Pacific coast show the time, thought, research and dialogue that went into determining these opening dates,” said John Filose, vice president of Ocean Garden Products. “We are committed to working with NGOs, local fishermen, and Mexican governing bodies to ensure the protection of endangered species, promote sustainability, increase the efficiency of the fishing effort and improve quality of life for the fishing communities.”
Mexico’s 2005/2006 aquaculture season began in late August with significant harvests expected by mid September. Shrimp farming in Mexico is lauded for its semi-intensive methods, whereby the concentration of shrimp in ponds is not as great as in the high-density farms common in other parts of the world. Shrimp are generally allowed to mature for their entire, 170- to 180-day growth cycle resulting in more larger sizes and firmer textures when compared with farmed shrimp of other origins.
Mexican Shrimp already enjoy a level of prestige among culinary connoisseurs and seafood lovers because of an idyllic habitat and the long-standing commitment of Mexican shrimp producers, processors and importers to optimum quality assurance from harvest to package.
About Ocean Garden Products
Ocean Garden Products is a leading seafood importer based in San Diego, California. Founded in 1957, Ocean Garden is a founding member of the Mexican Shrimp Council (www.mexicanshrimp.org), a binational coalition consisting of Mexican Shrimp producers, processors, suppliers and marketers. For more information, please visit www.oceangarden.com.
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Contact:
Melissa Dennis, OutSmart
melissa.dennis@sbcglobal.net
Chef2Chef News Desk