Article Summary:

Fish Information and Services (FIS) has reported that the Mexican National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries has decided to ban the fishing of all shark species in federal waters on both coasts in order to contribute to the conservation of the resource. The ban will be in place during the period of greatest reproductive intensity of the main species (between May and August) and in each region.

A spokesperson for the shark fishermen, Juan Campos Cárdenas, has stated that fishermen are willing to enforce the ban. The official figure of 30,000 tonnes of sharks caught annually in Mexican waters is considered a low estimate, with several organizations warning that overfishing has already reduced the numbers significantly.