Despite being prohibited, the predation of octopus and other species continues on the coast of Isla Arena where men from Celestún, Yucatán use compressors to dive for octopus, that is why coastal fishermen ask the authorities to redouble their surveilance to stop the illegal fishing of this species.
Miguel Antonio Molas, a fisherman from this island, stated that every day groups of fishermen from Celestún enter the sea armed with prohibited gear and compressors on board their boats, they are placed at a certain distance from the beach and are dedicated to looting marine species without respecting the “veda“.
“This situation is nothing new, it has been proven that these people use meshes and all kinds of prohibited gear to carry out the illegal activity without consideration, taking advantage of the fact that there is no surveillance on the Campeche coastline by any authority whatsoever,” he said.
The predation of marine species in Isla Arena affects the community since the cold fronts force them to suspend their surveillance work and that is when the outsiders take advantage to invade the Campeche sea.
Escorted by several fishermen, they agreed to ask the authority for their support to monitor the area and sanction those who do not respect limits, as a difficult year is looming and many fishermen and their families depend on the fishing activity to survive.
