Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A proposal to grant geographic indication status to bull shark diving in Playa del Carmen is moving into its final phase after five months of collaboration among federal, state, and local authorities, permit holders, and fishermen.
The initiative aims to strengthen protection for the activity through recognized protocols and to award it a nationally and internationally recognized distinction.
Cecilia Gutiérrez, an officer with the Mar Alliance Project, said the application has been submitted and final details are being refined in working groups. The effort is the result of participation from all involved sectors, and if approved, it would be the first such initiative in Mexico to protect a nature tourism activity related to bull sharks.
Gutiérrez highlighted that Playa del Carmen’s natural conditions make the diving experience unique compared to other destinations in the Caribbean and the world. The geographic indication would officially recognize good practices under protocols established and backed by environmental authorities and the local community.
So far, researchers have photo-identified 42 individual bull sharks that arrive off the coast of Playa del Carmen each year.
The species is classified as vulnerable internationally, and Gutiérrez said promoting protection mechanisms will contribute both to its conservation and to strengthening sustainable tourism in the region.
