To combat cases of illegal fishing on the Yucatan coast, especially in those red zones such as Celestún, Progreso, and Dzilam de Bravo, in 2025 the number of surveillance inspectors will be increased to 24, of which 16 belong to the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Conapesca) and 8 to the Secretariat of Fisheries and Sustainable Aquaculture of Yucatan (Sepasy).
The president of the National Chamber of Fishing and Aquaculture Industries (Canainpesca), Yucatan delegation, Enrique Sánchez Sánchez, said that the sector celebrates the increase in the number of people who will be watching the coast and the freezers, since during the closed seasons the cases of illegal fishing that prey on species increase noticeably.
He recalled that the State Council of Fisheries was recently established, where authorities from the Mexican Navy (Semar) and the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) were present; and where, in addition, an agreement was signed to grant Sepasy powers to combat illegal fishing, with the incorporation of new inspectors in charge.
In this way, he explained that the inspectors have already arrived on the coast and gradually the presence will be increased, with the support of Semar and SSP to detect shipments of illegal products in the coastal areas.
“As far as I know, there will be 16 inspectors from Conapesca plus those assigned by Sepasy, which are another 8… they will begin to monitor the coastal municipalities, they will also go out to sea and they will check on the freezers to verify the product that is kept in custody,” he noted.
The fishing leader explained that the procedure is applied in the following way: inspectors arrive with an order, check that all the documentation is in the fresh product container or storage area, and if any product does not comply with this, a period is given for the legality of the product to be presented.
He recalled that, for example, after the grouper catch ended on January 31, Conapesca already had an inventory record regarding the amount of production that was reported.
Sanchez Sanchez concluded that Canainspeca has sought a meeting with the National Guard (GN) so that they can also provide support on the coast, as well as with Customs, since in previous years they have been involved in the fight against illegal fishing, particularly in the red flag areas.
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