Gulf of California Swimming Crab
Gulf of California Swimming Crab
Fishery Improvement Project
Last Updated 3 March 2012
Species: swimming crab (Callinectes bellicosus, Callinectes arcuatus)
Fishery Location: Northwest México
FIP Scope/Scale: Fishery level, two species
Date Launched: 2008
FIP Stage: 3, FIP is encouraging improvements
Current Improvement Recommendations:
- Request the development and implementation of a management plan
- Request the legal verification of fishing gear
- Improve the landings registry and provide information to INAPESCA for stock evaluations
Background:
The increase in the demand of swimming crab meat in the United States and the fluctuations in their domestic fishery have led to an increase in demand from other countries in Asia and Latin America, with Mexico being one of the leading exporters. For example, in 1995, Mexico was the first country in Latin America and second worldwide to export crab products, with 1,500 tons of crab meat with a value of $1.6 million.
The fishery is valued in Mexico at $170 million, with a production of 18,000 tons of fresh product, of which 60 percent came from the Pacific coast, particularly the Gulf of California. The swimming crab fishery in the Gulf of California is of great importance to small-scale fishers in the months before and after the peak of the shrimp fishery (September to November). An estimated total of 2,193 fishing boats (locally named pangas), including 4,386 fishers and 139 fishing permits, were active in the Gulf of California. These pangas came mainly from the three swimming crab (or jaiba) producing states – Sinaloa, Sonora, and Baja California Sur. These states fished 90 percent of the catches in the Gulf of California (Sinaloa, 45%; Sonora, 33%; and Baja California Sur, 7%).
The fishery is regulated by a Mexican Official Standard (NOM) which includes minimum legal size requirements and restrictions on fishing gear (type and number/vessel), egg bearing females, and type of bait. The NOM also controls the total amount of fishing gear in the main three jaiba production states (70,800 in Sinaloa, 43,600 in Sonora, and 8,000 in Baja California Sur). For the rest of the states (Baja California, Nayarit, and Jalisco) the restriction on fishing gear depends on the technical opinion by the National Fisheries Institute (INAPESCA).
INAPESCA defines the fishery as at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and recommends against an increase in fishing effort in the three swimming crab fishery states.
FIP Objectives:
- Develop a new stock assessment for the three stocks to identify if the limit reference points are appropriate for the stocks’ status.
- Develop a fishery management plan.
- Evaluate environmental impacts of the fishery, including bycatch extent and composition and habitat impacts.
- Achieve MSC certification.
FIP Participants
- Ocean Technology Inc.
- Desarrollo Integral de Jaiba de Mexico SA de CV
Other Partners/Stakeholders
- INAPESCA
- Comunidad y Biodiversidad AC (COBI)
- Centro Intercultural de Estudios de Desiertos y Océanos
- Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa
- Universidad de Sonora
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Progress:
- The fishery underwent an MSC pre-assessment in February 2010 and the report indicated that the improvement needed was on the management system.
- A monitoring program to document the bycatch composition and volumes is under implementation.
- A fishery management plan is under development.
Click here for a more comprehensive description of FIP results
FIP Contact:
If you would like more information about the FIP or wish to support the FIP, please contact SFP
