The president of the Federation of the local Fishery Cooperativas, José Luis Carrillo Galáz, informed that the illegal capture of octopus that entered into a ban on December 15, 2018, will cause a bad season (it opens on August 1st).
Carrillo Galáz explained that last year, from August 1 to December 15, a historical figure was registered, with a total of 35,435 tons, which left an economic spill of 4 billion pesos.
He said that the lack of surveillance in the Yucatan coasts promotes the illegal fishing of octopus, lobster and grouper.
“The lobster catching season just opened July 1st, and there so far the numbers are pretty low. These irresponsible illegal furtive fishermen are not aware of the damage they cause to the natural resources of the area”, the president of the Federation of the local Cooperativas said.
El presidente de la Federación de Sociedades Cooperativas Pesqueras del Centro Poniente del Estado, José Luis Carrillo Galaz (Photo: Contrapunto)
Carrillo Galáz pointed out that more than one thousand tonnes of grouper have already been caught this year by Yucatecan fishermen, from April 1st to June 30th.
Illegal fishing is a key driver of global overfishing, which threatens marine ecosystems, puts food security and regional stability at risk, and it’s a crime.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom
