The Mexican Congress plans to amend various regulations and laws related to the fishing sector.
Lawmakers are currently working on reforms aimed at updating the General Law on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Regulations and laws
The National Quality Infrastructure Program was published by the Ministry of Economy on February 17, 2025, in the Official Gazette of the Federation.
The document covers five central themes. Four correspond to amendments to existing regulations: 002 on shrimp, 003 on small pelagic species, 029 on sharks and rays, and 062 on the satellite monitoring system. A new addition is draft regulation 038 on the traceability of fishery and aquaculture products.
In addition, three topics were proposed for the program supplement. These are regulation 020 on hake, 021 on bluefin tuna farming, and 039 on crab.
In the regulatory sphere, progress is also clear. To date, nine instruments have been published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. Six correspond to spatial-temporal closures: Pacific Ocean shrimp, Gulf of Mexico shrimp, Pacific Ocean tuna, lobster and generous clams in Baja California Sur, and crab in Sonora and Sinaloa.
Added to this is an agreement for fishing refuge areas in El Cuyo, Yucatán. Finally, two guidelines were established on permissible catch volumes: corvina and bluefin tuna.
Fisheries legislation
According to Alma Rosa García Juárez, president of the National Association of Aquaculture and Fisheries Holders (ANTAP), there is a marked discrepancy in the criteria applied by federal and state institutions in environmental, fisheries, aquaculture, and health matters.
For this reason, she pointed out that it is urgent to align the regulations of the different agencies that serve the sector. Only in this way can management processes be guaranteed that are in line with the specific conditions and needs of fisheries and aquaculture.
As an example, he cited the differences between Semarnat and Profepa on aquaculture issues.
García Juárez, who also serves as Secretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Baja California, warned that although some adjustments can be resolved through regulations and procedures, in the medium term it will be inevitable to propose reforms to the relevant law.