Mexican shrimp traders are still awaiting confirmation of the end of a U.S. embargo, but are now dealing with catch totals falling off by as much as 50 percent.
On 19 October, the Mexican government announced the United States would lift its ban on wild-caught shrimp from Mexico, which had been enacted due to a slippage in the use of turtle-excluder devices onboard Mexican shrimpers. However, as of Wednesday, 27 October, official notice of the embargo’s end had not yet been published in the U.S. Federal Register, meaning the embargo remains in place.
Executives with three of the largest traders of Mexican shrimp each confirmed they had heard the embargo would be lifted, and outlined the positive impact the decision will have on their companies. But they also expressed concern about remarkably low catch totals around one month into the new fishing season…