By José Antonio Pérez
Close to 700 deep sea fishermen from Puerto Peñasco’s shrimp fleet are presently without work as half of the fleet did not head back out to sea after December given the high cost of diesel fuel, low shrimp prices, and low volumes, reported Mateo López León, president of the Upper Gulf of California Shipowners Federation.
López detailed after fishermen returned to Puerto Peñasco at the end of December for the holidays, many did not return to sea due to an 80% increase in production cost. He noted 50 of the 100 permitted boats are still docked, adding the dire situation is due to a lack of profitability. Though so far there has been a regular shrimp yield, it is not enough to hit a balance. This could mean the 2019-2020 season is limited to just three rather than six months if there is no clear direction from the Federal Government as to policies concerning marine diesel prices.