Tulum Fishermen Halt Work Amid Severe Weather Conditions

Tulum, Quintana Roo — The fishing sector in Tulum is facing difficulties once again after weather conditions recorded in recent days forced the suspension of offshore activities, directly affecting the economy of dozens of families who depend on artisanal fishing as their main source of income.

Local fishermen reported that increased wave activity, strong winds, and persistent rains have prevented the departure of small vessels, primarily in the coastal area of the municipality.

They explained that, in these scenarios, navigating represents a risk to the safety of crews and their equipment, so they choose to remain on land until the weather improves.

Under normal conditions, a fishing day begins at dawn and can extend several hours out to sea.

According to the sector itself, when the weather is favorable, a boat with two or three fishermen can obtain between 40 and 80 kilograms of product, depending on the season and availability of species such as grouper, snapper, jack mackerel, chac-chi, or octopus.

These catches allow them to cover operational costs and generate daily income for families.

However, in recent days the activity has completely stopped in some areas, which has meant days without income. Fishermen pointed out that their activity does not have a fixed salary, so each day without going out to sea translates into a direct impact on family finances.

This situation is compounded by the rising cost of supplies necessary for fishing.

Fuel, ice, and boat maintenance continue to represent constant expenses, even when there is no product to commercialize, which further complicates the financial stability of the sector.

According to the fishermen themselves, the suspension of fishing also impacts other actors in the local economy, such as vendors, intermediaries, and restaurants that depend on the supply of fresh fish. Therefore, the effects extend beyond those who perform the catch.

Finally, the fishermen expressed their expectation that weather conditions will improve in the coming days so they can resume their work.

Nevertheless, they warned that these periods of inactivity are occurring more frequently, so they reiterated the importance of having support mechanisms to help mitigate economic losses derived from bad weather.