Besieged by illegal fishing and the effects of climate change, octopus fishermen in Yucatán accuse the difficulties that this fishery is going through in returning to the production levels of yesteryear and its positioning in the international market.
“The Mayan octopus is already recognized worldwide as a product of excellence and this has led the world to look back at Yucatán. Currently, more than 80% is being exported to the world and 20% of the product remains in the national territory, this gives us a clue to seek sustainability and try to counteract poaching,” says Aaron Rosado, director of Sustainability at the company Hul Kin.
Despite the importance of octopus for domestic fishing, exports of this mollusk have been reported to decline in recent years. The United States and Europe, the main markets, have reduced their imports.
In addition to the drop in 2024, President Donald Trump's tariff threats and uncertainty for Mexican primary products are added. The United States, from 2019 to 2024 alone, bought 53% less octopus from Mexico.
This, in terms of value, represented a nominal drop from 13 million 407 thousand dollars to 9 million 917 thousand dollars. That is, 26% less.
Of the octopus imports received by the United States, Mexico ranks eighth, according to the country's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries).
In the case of Europe, imported kilos fell 95% between 2018 and 2022, the year in which the old continent drastically reduced its demand, according to a consultation of the latest available data from the Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service.
The situation was no easier in the years that followed. Enrique Sánchez, president of the Fishing Chamber of the Yucatan delegation, states that the European continent was the main consumer of Mayan octopus and in fact, most of the production was sent to consumer countries, but in the last three years the numbers have been declining.
“A lot has to do with the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has economically affected these European countries and that is why exports to Europe have fallen so much. Obviously, the bureaucratic procedures have also hit us and the change of government,” says Sánchez.
The season falls
Export problems begin in the Southeast. The octopus fishing season in Yucatán in the last third of 2024 showed a decline, as fishermen say that in previous seasons they caught up to 80 kilograms per fisherman and in the last year it was not possible to exceed that figure.
The period allowed to catch the species is from August 1 to December 15, but last year, local fishermen asked the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (Conapesca) for an extension to December 31, and even so it was not enough.
“We can't say that it was a great season last year because hurricanes hit us and the octopus migrated and even though the government gave us an extension of 15 more days before it came into effect, it didn't help much. In a good season, an artisanal fisherman can fish up to 80 kilos, and now this season, although we were leaving, we could catch 10 kilos,” says Carlos Andrés Gómez Chuc, who, in addition to being a fisherman, is a fishing director in the municipality of Celestún.
This is despite the fact that the 2023 Aquaculture and Fisheries Yearbook places Yucatán first in the country as an octopus producer since 2014.
Illegal fishing with chlorine
“It is common for us to find someone fishing illegally and from our experience we know who is dedicated to this, in the community we all know each other,” says Gómez Chuc.
Fishermen say that poaching groups have been identified. Source: Government of Yucatán.
Although there is no official data on illegal fishing for Mayan octopus, at least 40% of the total corresponds to poaching, he says. The statement is consistent with the general estimate that federal authorities related to fishing have made about this scourge to all commercial species nationwide.
However, what worries most at the moment in Yucatán is a method that has gained popularity and that pirates use: they use chlorine in mollusc nesting areas.
The chemical damages not only the species, but its ecosystem, Gómez Chuc points out.
“They make a small hole in the chlorine bottles and when they identify an octopus cave, they throw it away and it comes out on its own. But we have noticed that this damages reefs, corals die and other species that are there,” he says.
The damage caused to reefs by the method used by poaching is confirmed by the researcher at the Technological Institute of Chetumal, Carmen Villegas, and describes that it is one of the main threats to reefs at this time.
“The thing is that everything that lives in that cave where they extract the octopus dies with chlorine. Coral polyps die and everything that usually takes refuge in caves such as starfish, crabs and other crustaceans. So this is a very bad fishing practice that is very associated with poaching,” he says.
With the samples carried out by Dr. Villegas, she confirms that corals that receive chlorine directly die almost immediately and unfortunately do not recover. This becomes a negative cycle because marine species such as octopus run out of nesting places.
Poachers use chlorine to extract octopuses from their caves. Source: Government of Mexico.
Sustainability
The high commercial value of the Mayan octopus makes this fishery attractive to those engaged in poaching. In this regard, sustainability is important in the face of fishing stalking, says Aaron Rosado, of the Mayan octopus processor Hul Kin.
“This is a species that is at risk every day due to poor fishing practices, but it does work together to make it a sustainable fishery, such as the initiatives that have been managed are the Fishery Improvement Project (FIP); it is a group of businessmen who in Yucatán have aligned themselves to establish certain rules for what is considered sustainable fishing: respecting sizes and returning females to their habitat,” he explains.
The Mayan octopus is one of the most important species in Yucatán. Source: Sagarpa.
Regarding the established measure for octopus fishing, the National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Inapesca) suggested that it is 11 centimeters and up, weighing at least 450 grams.
However, Dr. Carlos Rosas of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) points out that the length proposal is risky because the mollusk can be stretched to reach the measurement.
The researcher is aware that poaching production is also exported, so it would be necessary to investigate all sectors at the ports of arrival and unloading.
In the case of Hul Kin, his work has not been easy because it is necessary to involve producers and customers, with a focus on legality, traceability, social responsibility and above all the sustainability of the fish product.
Currently, the sector aspires to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, one of the most sought after in the world, so that the Mayan octopus fishery can be certified as sustainable.
“It's also extremely important that consumers are interested in knowing where their product comes from,” says Aaron Rosado.
Yucatán is the main producer of octopus in the country. Source: Government of Yucatán.
Absence of authority
“It's very easy to identify those who are engaged in poaching; we know who is in good standing and who is not and we know that those who are not in good standing dive at night,” adds Carlos Andrés Gómez Chuca.
Between 2020 and 2024 alone, as a result of inspections in Yucatecan territory, Conapesca secured 398,301 kilograms of fish product in Yucatecan territory.
Despite the fishery and aquaculture inspection and surveillance activities carried out by the agency, in the last five years, only two people have been registered at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office in 2021.
The figure contrasts with other insurances, where there are greater records of fishing gear, engines, vehicles and, above all, of fish products.
José Luis Carrillo Galaz, president of the Mexican Confederation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Cooperatives, explains that they join the protection of the species with monitoring committees because of the annual production of 12 thousand fishermen in the state, at least 40% is carried out in a stealth manner.
“We as producers have inspection and community surveillance committees that allow us to help the authorities, but it's no use if those who fish in this way are not sanctioned. Not all anglers do things right because they don't respect the established restrictions, the octopus measures to be caught and they don't care if they catch more females even though they are taking care of their young. We can estimate that there are like 5,000 poachers in the state,” he says.
Regarding this situation, Carlos Rosas explains that illegal fishing is a more fundamental problem because it is a lack of vigilance on the part of Conapesca and the Secretariat of the Navy, but it is also a structural situation, where people in precarious situations seek to survive on a daily basis.
“The weakest link in the chain is always the fisherman and that is pointed out, but what leads him to get involved in poaching. Also what happens and who is investigating the marketer who buys that octopus from him. No one is watching this either. So if we add these elements together, we realize that illegal or poaching fishing is a matter of social matter. It's not just a fishing issue,” he describes.
*This report belongs to series #ExportacionesPerdidas, a special investigation by Causa Natura Media on the effects of illegal fishing on export species.
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