The brown and white shrimp are among the most highly caught species in the Gulf of Mexico. In its efforts to promote sustainable fisheries, FAO has started a technical cooperation with governments and national entities to support the already existing management plans for these two important species. The cooperation also involves the fishery for red grouper, important in the State of Yucatan.

On 30 October, within the context of the "Strategic Action Program of the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem" (SAP GoM-LME) and with the coordination of FAO, stakeholders established the Fisheries Consultative Committee for the brown and white shrimp fishery in the states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz, Mexico.

The meeting was held in the State of Tamaulipas and was chaired by Raul Ruiz Villegas, the Secretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the State at the presence of Claudia Núñez Salomón on behalf of SEDARPA (Secretary of Agricultural, Rural and Fisheries Development of the State of Veracruz).

About this inaugural meeting, FAO coordinator of the GOM-LME project, Mónica Pérez Ramírezstated “FAO will provide technical assistance to CONAPESCA, the national fisheries enforcement authority and INAPESCA, the agency that formulates research projects, with the common goal to implement the already existing management plans for brown shrimp and red grouper fisheries."  

At the meeting table, CONAPESCA (National Commission for Aquaculture and Fisheries) was represented by José de Jesús Dosal Cruz, while INAPESCA (National Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture) was represented by Pedro Ulloa Ramírez. Other entities present were the leads of the Fisheries Offices in Tamaulipas and Veracruz, the leads of the Regional Centre for Fisheries Research (CRIP), as well as the producers of Tamaulipas represented by Miller Alexander Longoria (industrial sector) and Enrique Lozano Garza (riverine sector) and by Veracruz producers, Jaime Santiago Rojas as well as others.  

Aiming to contribute to responsible management of the brown and white shrimp fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, the Fisheries Consultative Committee will be a fundamental tool to foster knowledge exchange among the main actors. In addition, the Committee will call for the participation of other agencies, universities, civil society organizations and researchers to form Technical Working Groups on topics of interest. 

Photo red grouper, licence CC BY-SA 2.0