As 2021 comes to a close, only 30% of Puerto Peñasco’s shrimp fleet has been operating. This is due to high production costs and a lack of governmental incentives this year, detailed Mate López León, President of the Upper Gulf of California Shipowners Federation.
López León noted while 30 of the city’s fleet have been active so far this year, 20 of them have focused on shrimp while the rest have sought to capture flake. This has logically led to a drop of nearly 60% in shrimp hauls, he furthered, noting prior years saw numbers of over 800 tons by this date while this year’s shrimp season has barely topped 350.
The Shipowners Federation president detailed ongoing increases in diesel prices, along with fishing embargoes – including that of the Upper Gulf of California still in effect – and a lack of federal support, has translated into poor results so far for the area’s shrimp season. He deemed the season itself would come to an early end for many of the boats that were able to go out, highlighting that 40% of the city’s fleet has remained anchored at dock since the season began.
Shrimp season is generally from mid-September through mid- March.