Assessing the Exploitation Strategies of the Shrimp Fishery in the Gulf of California
Shrimp is the most valuable fisheries resource in Mexico, representing almost 40% of the total production landed,with total revenue of more than US $ 132 million per year. Shrimp fishery provides with more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. Three peneid shrimp species, blue, brown, and white shrimp of the southern Gulf of California, are exploited near to their maximum capacity, and they account for >95% of the wild stock of the Pacific coast. In the current fishery, the age of first capture is the overexploiting juveniles; therefore, increasing the age of the first capture from four to five months is recommended. The stocks were evaluated with a simulation model. Two fishing scenarios were tested: the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and the MSY/fisher. As it is not possible to address particular exploitation policies for each species, the recommended exploitation strategies are based on combined species. It was concluded that, for the MSY scenario, 12,000 fishing days per season would fulfill most of the requirements; in the second case (MSY/fisher), reducing the current number of boats to 530 would achieve the required goal.
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