The certification body, MRAG Americas, has announced that the Sian Ka’an and Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserves spiny lobster fishery has entered full assessment for MSC certificate. It is said that the species to be assessed is Panuliris argus. Initially MRAG Americas seeks to open a dialogue with all organisations or individuals with a direct interest in the fishery.
The authority is inviting the public comments on the full assessment of the fishery. It is told that anyone wishing to provide comments or information to the assessment process which is relevant to the status of the stock, ecosystem interactions or fishery management practices.
The location of the fishery to be assessed is the nearshore waters of the Sian Ka’an and Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserves in the coast of the State of Quintana Roo, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. And the fishing method used in this fishery is free diving using casitas cubanas in exclusive access parcels, and hand harvest in the reefs.
It is noted that the fishery management structure is based on Federal law that governs all marine resources, including several species of lobster along the Mexican Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Management of the different spiny lobster fisheries exploited in Mexican waters is regulated by decree in the Mexican Official Norm which includes regulations for lobster fisheries in the Mexican Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Baja California Peninsula, and Gulf of California.
The commercial market for Yucatan spiny lobster fishery products is the tourism sector in Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and other markets in the Yucatán Peninsula. A small percentage is sold across Mexico and exported into the USA. The assessment process is expected to take 15 months and is scheduled for completion around March 2010.
