|
July 18, 2005 -
TOP MEXICAN SHRIMP EXPORTER, CONSERVATION GROUP REACH ACCORD TO PROTECT FISHERIES AND WORLD’S MOST ENDANGERED PORPOISE
On June 14, 2005, representatives from the NRDC, Ocean Garden, other NGO's and Mexican fishermen met in San Diego to discuss the serious issues affecting the Upper Gulf of California. As a result of this productive session, plus follow up work, Frances Beinecke, Executive Director, NRDC, and Antonio Diaz, President, Ocean Garden Products, Inc., have agreed to the following:
Recognizing the threats to marine fisheries and wildlife posed by over fishing, bycatch and the dramatic loss of fresh water flow from the Colorado River.
Recognizing the decline of many marine resources in the Upper Gulf of California and the impacts this decline has on local communities as well as endangered species such as the vaquita marina.
Recognizing that there is a need to find solutions that take into consideration the social and economic impacts on fishing communities that have depended on the Gulf of California resources for generations.
Further recognizing that any solutions will require the cooperation of the appropriate Mexican State and Federal officials, plus commercial, fishing, and environmental interests.
Ocean Garden and NRDC agree to work together, with the interested parties, utilizing the coordinating capabilities of the ‘NOS’ group, (Noroeste Sustentable, Mexico), to achieve the following three objectives:
Eliminate bycatch of vaquita marina, by working with all the interested parties.
Eradicate illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf of California.
Improve the efficiency of the shrimp fishery in the Gulf of California so that the by-catch of other species is reduced, while supporting the fishermen and their local communities.
We are also pleased to announce that on July 26 and 27, representatives of the interested parties mentioned above will join together in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. Our plan is to achieve real progress on our three core objectives, with concrete and immediate initiatives for both the short and long term protection of the Upper Gulf of California.
On Behalf of Ocean Garden
|
On Behalf of NRDC |
Jose Antonio Diaz,
President |
Frances Beinecke,
Executive Director |
# # #
Ocean Garden Products, Inc. began in 1957 as a small group of boat owners from Mexico striving to market their harvest of premium Mexican shrimp in the United States. Over 40 years later, Ocean Garden Products, Inc. has become the largest seafood importer/marketing companies in the nation. OGP sells tens of millions of pounds of quality seafood annually and has maintained a leadership position in many seafood industry activities and organizations. For more information, visit www.oceangarden.com.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.savebiogems.org.
|
