Case Study 2: The Baja California, Mexico, Lobster Fishery - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 262

(see Table 12.1); therefore, fishing effort on the lobster resource is kept below the
level authorised by the government. The same situation occurs with quotas for
abalone - to better protect the stocks, the cooperatives set quotas that are below the
government-authorised level. A special feature of the cooperatives is that there is
a biologist or technician employed at each of the 9 cooperatives to assist with data
collection and to provide advice and assistance to the cooperative, to the Federation
and to the government agencies.

12.3 Status of the stock

In the 1970s and 1980s, the total catches of P. interruptus from the Pacific coast of
Mexico was around 1300 tonnes, except for the period 1980-1982, when a peak
in catches occurred. Catches of individual cooperatives vary considerably (data are
available but not illustrated here), but the total is relatively stable across the whole
area. However, the catches do vary with lobster availability and oceanographic
conditions. Catches during the 2000-2001 season in most cooperatives were at the
highest level ever recorded.
Catches by commercial fishers in Mexico and the US have been monitored for
long periods and usable data on catches and the number of traps are available since
1928 for Mexico, and since 1916 for the US. Catches over 14 years available at the
time of the assessment are shown in Figure 12.2.
The Mexican government regulations established a management goal to consoli-
date the sustainability of this fishery by optimising its regulatory mechanisms. These
mechanisms include reviewing and adjusting periodically the seasonal scheme by
zone and species, constantly monitoring and modifying the restrictions on fishing

Spiny lobster catch

Baja USA

2500

Baja,
Mexico USA

Year Total

88 1116 303 1419

2000

89 1204 332 1536

90 1395 331 1726

91 1143 268 1411

1500

92 1044 263 1307

93 971 233 1205

94 1203 238 1441

1000

95 1396 265 1661

96 1519 323 1843

97 1447 423 1879

98 1351 312 1663 500

99 1404 231 1634

0 1828 320 2148

1 1653 325 1978

0

1988 1991 1994 1997 2000

Years

Figure 12.2 Commercial catches of the spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus in Baja California, Mexico,
and in California, USA.