Cancún Restaurants Serving Seafood During Fishing Ban, Researcher Warns

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Many restaurants in Cancún are serving seafood from species currently under a fishing ban, according to a university researcher who warns that authorities need to increase enforcement.

Manuel Carvajal Sánchez, a chef and researcher at the University of the Caribbean (Unicaribe), said that despite a ban that took effect March 1 on species including lobster, grouper, sea bass, and some shrimp, these products continue to appear on menus due to high demand from diners.

“They keep serving it because there’s demand from customers, and fishermen keep taking these species from the sea, so authorities need to have more oversight,” Carvajal said.

Based on his estimates, half of the seafood dishes served in local restaurants use products from banned species. He noted that fisheries are supposed to have special permits to sell species under the ban, indicating the product was caught before the prohibition dates, but most lack this documentation.

The main impact, Carvajal explained, is that the reproductive cycle is interrupted, preventing the recovery of fish populations.

He also reported that some restaurants are even serving pink conch cocktails, despite that species being prohibited for fishing.

In Quintana Roo, 22 active aquaculture farms operate across several municipalities including Othón P. Blanco, Bacalar, Lázaro Cárdenas, Benito Juárez, and Puerto Morelos. However, their production is limited, generating just 3,807 tons annually of species like mojarra, torito, small shark, and langostino.

“The production is modest to meet the demand in the state and the tourism and gastronomy sector,” Carvajal said.

He added that aquaculture farms in the southern part of the state are already producing Malaysian prawns, Australian lobster, tilapia, and chivita, but illegal fishing remains a reality in Quintana Roo.

In Cancún, the fishing ban season includes various marine species such as shrimp, lobster, abalone, and some fish, with specific periods and restricted zones.