Aquaculture potential in Tabasco, Mexico I. PATRICK SAOUD1 Until quite recently, the word Tabasco brought me images of a spicy sauce in a small bottle. Some months ago however, I was invited by my friend Antonio Garza de Yta, Director of CRM-AGC2 (Aquaculture Global Consulting) to the state of Tabasco in Mexico. The aim of the visit was to evaluate aquaculture potential in the state and to discuss the potential construction of an aquaculture research and development center there. Although a little skeptical, I gladly made the trip. I was very surprised by what I saw. The state has many suitable sites and resources. It has a decent airport with direct flights to Houston and to Mexico City. The capital city, Villahermosa, is a vibrant metropolis with good infrastru�ture, nightlife, schools and hospitals. The state is also rich in energy and fuel. These are assets that anyone engaged in aquaculture in tropical countries cannot take for granted. Furthermore, the state has two large harbors (Puerto de Dos Bocas and Puerto de Frontera) capable of loading container and cargo ships. Finally, the state has a very large labor force. The first thing one notices about Villahermosa, is the temperature and the humidity. Mexico City has a cool, dry climate but Tabasco is warm and humid. It has conditions every warmwater aquaculturist dreams of. The state is small compared to other states in Mexico (84,000 km2) but has 30 percent of the freshwater of the whole country. Several large rivers and many pristine streams line the state. Moreover, I was assured that Tabasco has huge aquifers that are not deep, making wells easy and Dr. Arturo Romero Villanueva, director of Fundacion Tabasco, sitting at the head of the table discussing aquaculture investment potential in Tabasco. inexpensive to drill. On top of abundant freshwater, Tabasco has a long coastline that is very sparsely inhabited and is optimal for shrimp pond culture and fish cage culture. The state has assigned 53,000 ha of coastal land as suitable for shrimp culture. Additionally, there are 100,000 ha for freshwater fish culture, 30,000 ha suitable for oysters and 100,000 ha for marine fish culture. The temperature and rain regime of Tabasco are suitable for two to three shrimp crops a year. Having toured some beautiful Antonio Garza (second from right) with Pa/mar shrimp farm managers in Tabasco. � � sites, Antonio and I returned to Villahermosa via some Olmecan and Mayan ruins. These dot the state. In the capital we were welcomed by Dr. Arturo Romero Villanueva and his team from the Fundacion Tabasco3. This foundation is responsible for attracting investment to Tabasco by facilitating getting through the red tape, introducing investors to local businessmen and politicians, giving advice and doing whatever else it takes. I found the team to be extremely efficient and energetic. They arranged for a meeting between AnWORLD AQUACULTURE 9
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