WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2017 19 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 20) Mexico, I want to emphasize the future, the challenges we face and the steps to follow. Unfortunately, like many other countries, official fisheries statistics sometimes do not describe the reality of a country. Although great efforts have been made to reflect the actual situation, many opportunities for improvement remain. First, there is a very important confounding variable in Mexican fisheries statistics: culture-based fisheries. This concept accounts for fisheries that have their origin with animals that were previously stocked in a lake or reservoir. They are not based on a strict repopulation program nationwide. Someone had the idea many years ago to keep aquaculture growing year by year this way, despite the reality. The government should just count this production as fisheries, although political pressure has prevented this from happening. The FAO does not consider culture-based fisheries as part of aquaculture production of a country. Aquaculture in Mexico Shrimp Controlled aquaculture production in Mexico fluctuates around 200,000 t/yr, depending on shrimp production, which accounts for more than 50 percent of total production. Shrimp aquaculture has been deeply affected by several diseases over the past decade. It takes place mostly along the northwest coast of Mexico, in the states of Sonora and Sinaloa (the location of Mazatlan), and to a lesser extent in states like Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Colima (where freshwater shrimp has been produced for many years now). More than 100,000 ha are dedicated to grow around 120,000 t/yr of almost all white-legged shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, which is the crown jewel of Mexican fisheries and aquaculture, as their value surpasses that of capture fisheries for tuna, shrimp and sardines combined! Shrimp farming is a very important economic activity that is characterized by experienced farmers, good technical support and a strong service industry around it. Shrimp produced in Mexico are of high quality and are exported to many countries around the world. Semi-intensive pond culture with a grow-out period of 8-9 months in which 1 or 2 cycles of shrimp are produced, with annual yields around 1 t/ha common. Although some intensive and hyperintensive systems are being tested in many areas, the intensification of shrimp aquaculture is still in its infancy in Mexico and success or failure will depend on many factors (discussed below). Tilapia Tilapia is the species with the second greatest production in Mexico, around 60,000 t/yr, although the value is still far less than that of shrimp. Many strains of tilapia are produced in almost every corner of the country, in many ways (e.g. cages, ponds or round tanks) and at many densities. At the beginning of aquaculture promotion in Mexico, Farmed tilapia from central Mexico. Tilapia aquaculture in Veracruz. Farmed tilapia from Puebla. Floating tilapia cages in Venustiano Carranza Dam, Coahuila.
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