Press Release num. 006
Washington, D.C., August, 12, 2021.
An expedited process is agreed to lift the Mexican shrimp embargo
The Embassy of Mexico in the United States informs that today, the Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma, with the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos; the head of the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Octavio Almada; and the general director of the National Fisheries Institute, Pablo Arenas, met with officials of the State Department in order to request the lifting of the fishing embargo of the coastal shrimp.
The level of the Mexican delegation officials reflects the importance of this issue for the President of Mexico, a fact that was recognized by the US delegation.
The US officials from the State Department that attended the meeting were David F. Hogan, Acting Director Office of Marine Conservation; Joseph Fette, Section 609 Manager Office of Marine Conservation; and Lori Michaelson, Senior Economic and Energy Officer at the Mexican Desk. From the US Trade Representative Office attended Amanda Mayhew, Deputy Business Representative for Environment and Natural Resources; and from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were Ann Marie Lauritsen, International Sea Turtle Recovery and Conservation Specialist; Jeff Gearhart, Acting Head of the Capture and Engineering Section at the Southeastern Fisheries Center; and Blake Price from the Pascagoula MS Laboratories Harvest Systems Unit.
Both delegations developed a route to certify again all Mexican shrimp production by working immediately to prepare the US authorities visit to Mexico and supervise the commercial vessels situation.
Both parties pledged to maintain fluid and permanent communication, as well as a coordinated dynamic to jointly define a scheme in the medium and long term that addresses not only the conservation of the sea turtle, but also national sustainable fishing.
The Government of Mexico reaffirmed its commitment to protect sea turtles by presenting the "Plan of Emerging Actions for the conservation of sea turtles." This plan was welcomed by the US delegation.
The Mexican delegation emphasized the importance to establish a dialogue to strengthen collaboration in order to achieve the protection of marine wildlife, as well as responsible fishing. They also highlighted this commitment through permanent working groups or any other mechanism deemed pertinent.
In a cordial and respectful atmosphere, both the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, through the Embassy of Mexico in the United States, reaffirmed their commitment to promote sustainable fishing to reactivate both economies, while preserving the environment and biodiversity.
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