25pct of the Mexican seafood production is MSC certified while the average worldwide is 12pct. (Photo: Sagarpa)

MSC deems Mexico is Latin America leader in fisheries sustainability

MEXICO
Monday, May 21, 2018, 21:30 (GMT + 9)

The work carried out by Mexico in terms of sustainability for more than 10 years has been reflected in the fact that some of its fisheries, in terms of volume, are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

This was stated by MSC representative in Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Luis Bourillon during a meeting with directors of the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (CONAPESCA), dependence organ of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) as well as with leaders of the fishing industry.

MSC representative considered that the sustainability promoted by the SAGARPA, through CONAPESCA, should form part of a farming activity that derives in a legal and orderly manner, avoid overexploitation of species and have minimal impact on the marine ecosystem.

He highlighted that the country has 1.8 million tonnes of fisheries and aquaculture production and 25 per cent, equivalent to more than 430,000 tonnes, is considered sustainable, based on the assessments carried out following the highest sustainability standards. It is located in Mexico on top in this matter, inside the Latin American region.

Bourillón acknowledged the interest of fishermen and industrialists in the sector to be certified and stressed that Mexico has five fisheries evaluated and certified with a rigorous global sustainability standard, which represents 25 per cent of national production, while in the world the average is just 12 per cent.

This is a fairly high percentage, almost double of the global average and represents very important fisheries for the country as the sardine on the coasts of the states of Sonora, Sinaloa and Nayarit, and the fishery for yellowfin and skipjack tuna it develops in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, in addition to the red lobster from Baja California Peninsula, he said.

He added that other fisheries in Mexico are looking for the MSC certification, such as shrimp in the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico octopus in Yucatan, and small fisheries that also seek to evaluate themselves in relation to this quality standard in order to be recognized in the domestic and global market as sustainable.

In referring to aquaculture, he argued that it has more possibilities and facilities to be sustainable due to the control exercised over the production process because it is very low scale and density, with feed that is often natural. In addition, it is necessary to be careful about the quality of the water, which enters and gets out of the farming area, and to assess the ecosystem impact.

In this case, he added, in Mexico there are farmed products that have received certificates for sustainability, such as tilapia and shrimp.

The MSC specialist stressed that Mexico has done hard work in some fisheries in terms of control and order. However, he acknowledged that there are different challenges depending on the size of the fishery.

"We depend a lot on the export market, and those sustainability criteria are much more present and stronger in foreign markets," explained Bourillon.

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