When the United States lifted its import ban on Mexican wild-caught shrimp in October 2021, the industry hailed the move as a victory for efforts to implement sustainability-oriented practices mandated by the U.S. government as part of its enforcement of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.
But for Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Senior Improvements and Strategy Manager Megan Westmeyer, who leads SFP’s efforts to improve the sustainability of the wild-catch Mexican shrimp fishery, it was just one milestone in a much larger process to improve the sustainability of the Mexican shrimp sector.
Since it was founded in 2021 with strict membership requirements, SFP’s Mexican Shrimp Supply Chain Roundtable, with current participants Amende and Schultz, Buena Vista Seafood, Deep Sea Shrimp Importing, Eastern Fish, and Ocean Garden Products, has continued to push for improvements in how the fishery does business, taking steps to address laundering and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, according to Westmeyer.