Mexico City - The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) has published the Agreement establishing a temporary ban on fishing for all species of shrimp in marine waters under federal jurisdiction of the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of California and lagoon estuarine systems, marshes and bays of the states of Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima.

Through the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Conapesca), based on research and biological sampling by the National Fisheries Institute (Inapesca), the measure will be applied, aiming at maintaining sustainability in the use of the crustacean.

According to what was published in the Official Gazette (DOF), the temporary fishing ban will be established for all species of shrimp in the waters under federal jurisdiction of the Pacific Ocean, in the following areas and dates:

• From 00:00 on 29 February 2016, in lagoon estuarine systems, marshes, bays and marine waters of the Gulf of California to the border between the states of Nayarit and Jalisco.

• From 00:00 on 7 March 2016, in marine waters of the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the peninsula of Baja California from the US border to Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, located at 22°30'00''north latitude and 109°54'45'' west longitude geographic coordinates and estuarine lagoon systems located in Magdalena-Almejas Bay and marshes surrounding Puerto Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur.

• From 00:00 on 20 March 2016, in marine waters ranging from the boundary between the states of Nayarit and Jalisco to the border with the Republic of Guatemala.

The publication states that SAGARPA will announce, in advance, the dates of ban completion based on research and biological samples performed by Inapesca through an Agreement to be published in the Official Gazette.

The measures to be followed by producers, in cases in which they already have shrimp in different forms of conservation, from areas in which the closure will be applied, and transportation of the crustacean, are also detailed.

The federal government enforces these bans as one of its main management measures that help protect the maximum periods of reproduction and recruitment of these organisms. In addition, they induce the production of higher value sizes and increase amounts of resource production.