Puerto Peñasco shrimp hauls have been low so far during the 2022-23 season, with just about 400 tons reported in the first 3 months. José Alfredo Munguía Fernández, representative of the Pacific Ocean Coastal Shipowners Union, detailed on top of this prices for the so-called “pink gold” have been well below expectations. This has caused some haulers to turn to scale fish instead, and particularly hake.
The 2022-23 shrimp season, generally from mid-September through March, has had lower than expected yields and prices for 16-20 size shrimp at about 240 pesos/kilo. This amount, affirmed Munguía Fernández, does not guarantee profitability for fishing boats. Additional uncertainties include the cost of diesel, a fishing embargo in the Upper Gulf of California, and related restrictions, not to mention the withdraw of federal support for this primary sector in 2020.
In light of these challenges, only about 70% of the local shrimp fleet continues to bet on the traditional “pink gold”, while the rest switched to hake about two months into the season. The shipowners’ representative remarked with these numbers, it will be tough to meet seasonal yields near the region’s historic production average of 1500 tons.