Cancún, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Bienpesca program is providing direct economic support to more than 2,198 small-scale fishers and aquaculture farmers across Quintana Roo in 2026, offering an annual payment of 8,000 pesos (about $400 USD) per beneficiary.
The payments are delivered through Banco del Bienestar cards, aiming to improve the economic stability of families dependent on fishing. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), global aquatic animal production reached 178 million tons in 2020, underscoring the importance of the sector.
Quintana Roo’s fishing industry focuses on high-value species such as lobster, grouper, shark, dogfish, octopus, shrimp, and mojarra, supplying both local and national markets.
Beyond the cash transfer, Bienpesca includes training in best practices, health and safety, marketing, value-added processing, regulations, and diversification to boost efficiency and profitability.
The program also provides a safety net during fishing bans. Currently, pink conch is under a ban from May 1 to November 30 along Quintana Roo’s entire coastline. Shark fishing is prohibited from May 1 to June 30, and shrimp from May 1 in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
Authorities have distributed payments in municipalities including Playa del Carmen, Othón P. Blanco, Benito Juárez, Cozumel, Lázaro Cárdenas, Tulum, and Isla Mujeres. A second card distribution operation runs from April 27 to May 22 for those who missed earlier dates, with officials emphasizing the process is direct and free of intermediaries.
