Mexico Advanced Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture: CONAPESCA

Mexico’s National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (CONAPESCA) closed 2025 reporting advances across training, monitoring, financing, and social support programs aimed at strengthening fisheries and aquaculture while reinforcing food sovereignty and sustainability goals.

A key goal for CONAPESCA was the development of a more productive, efficient and sustainable aquaculture sector. During the year, the commission distributed 1.47 million carp, tilapia, and trout fingerlings to restocking and controlled farming centers, benefiting 12,378 families that depend on fishing and aquaculture. Through its National Program for Self-Managed Aquaculture Technical Support, CONAPESCA assisted 1,643 producers in 126 municipalities across 16 states classified as having high poverty levels. Technical support focused on tilapia and oyster farming, supported by newly developed manuals and instructional videos aimed at improving productivity, nutrition, and income. 

In an effort to support sustainable shrimp fishing and maintain access to export markets, the agency delivered specialized training on Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) and Fish Excluder Devices (FEDs). A total of 74 net makers and 1,153 shrimp vessel crew members were trained across Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Veracruz. Authorities say the program supports Mexico’s efforts to regain certification to export shrimp to the United States in 2026. In 2024, the United States purchased 13,882t of Mexican shrimp in different product categories and remained the country’s top market for fisheries and aquaculture products. In total, Mexico’s shrimp industry produced 258,577t that year. 

CONAPESCA also took steps to boost productive capacity through innovative financial instruments. Since November, the commission has admitted 80 fishers to its Cosechando Soberanía program, which enables access to credit lines carrying an annual interest rate of 8.5%. At the close of 2025, financing reached MX$1.3 million (US$72,334), invested in infrastructure, feed, equipment and cold storage. Outside of the program, additional extraordinary financial support of MX$61.08 million (US$3.4 million) was delivered to 32,577 Sinaloan producers, in coordination with the Sinaloa state government.

In parallel, CONAPESCA strengthened monitoring and enforcement in sensitive ecosystems across Mexico. By the end of 2025, 848 small vessels operating in the Upper Gulf of California were equipped with satellite monitoring devices, part of a broader effort to curb illegal totoaba fishing and the incidental capture of the endangered vaquita porpoise. In 2023, problems surrounding the totoaba and vaquita bycatch prompted the United States to threaten a total embargo on Mexican fish imports, leading to aggressive conservation efforts jointly carried out by CONAPESCA, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), and the Sea Shepherd Society. After two years of work, researchers confirmed the sighting of between seven and 10 vaquita porpoises and the birth of new calves during the 2025 Vaquita Marina Observation Cruise in September.

More broadly, the agency expanded its Training and Awareness Plan for Small Vessels as part of its conservation efforts. Over 2,000 small-scale fishers from Campeche, Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Yucatan completed workshops during the year, exceeding the initial target of 1,500 producers. The training focused on the proper use of fishing gear, species conservation, and compliance with regulations. The agency conducted additional targeted outreach in the Upper Gulf, training 80 fishers operating small and large vessels in areas including San Felipe, Baja California, and Golfo de Santa Clara and Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, on the environmental and economic impacts of illegal fishing.

CONAPESCA also engaged in targeted efforts to support underrepresented and underprivileged groups within the sector. Through the Bienpesca program, 192,141 small- and medium-scale fishers and aquaculture producers received direct annual payments of MX$7,500 (US$417) each, funded by a federal investment of MX$1.44 billion (US$80.17 million). Beneficiaries included 44,387 women and 147,754 men, with 49,390 identifying as Indigenous or Afro-Mexican. The program reached 60% of producers nationwide and covered 256 municipalities with high or very high marginalization. Meanwhile, through the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Women in Aquaculture, more than 600 women producers in 114 municipalities across 13 states received training in technical, organizational, and community development skills.