Sian Ka'an and Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserves spiny lobster
Last Updated: 28th June 2010
Number of fisheries: 1
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Species
Spiny Lobster (Panuliris argus)
MSC assessment status
The certification body, MRAG Americas, has announced that that the Sian Ka'an and Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserves spiny lobster fishery is to change the Units of Certification to define the fish stock as those lobster living from the latitude of Tulum (20º 12’ N) to the Mexico-Belize border.
Any stakeholder wishing to comment on the revision is invited to contact Robert Trumble at MRAG Americas (details below).
Please refer to the assessment downloads section for further information.
Fishery location
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.
Fishing method
Free diving using casitas cubanas in exclusive access parcels, and hand harvest in the reefs.
Fishery management
The management structure for spiny lobster fisheries along the east coast of Mexico 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 formal management scheme is the same for the entire Yucatán Peninsula. Lobster management plans are currently under development as required by the new fisheries law, Ley General de Pesca y Aquacultura Sustentables, which passed in October 2007.
Commercial market
Yucatan spiny lobster fishery products are sold regionally for 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.
Assessment timeline
The assessment process is expected to take 15 months and is scheduled for completion around March 2010. Please follow this link for to see the detailed assessment timeline.
The target eligibility date for this fishery is the 1st April 2010
The MSC ecolabel can only be applied to product from certified fisheries. The MSC program does allow, in certain circumstances and within strict traceability requirements, the MSC ecolabel to be applied following certification to product caught before the actual date of certification. The target eligibility date therefore represents the date from which products may become eligible to carry the MSC ecolabel, however they cannot be sold until and if the fishery is certified. The actual eligibility date will be determined if the fishery is certified to the MSC standard.
To find out more about when fish from this fishery may be sold with the MSC ecolabel, please follow this link (http://www.msc.org/get-certified/supply-chain/eligibility-dates).
