Lobster season off to a bad start in Mexico

It appears that this is going to be a poor season for lobster fishermen throughout Mexico's state of Yucatan.

According to an article posted on fis.com, since July 1, 2012, less than 1 ton has been caught in the waters off the state of Yucatan.  This has led the Mexican State Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Delfin Quezada Dominguez, to classify the start of the season as "bad to worse".  He has also reported that the typical catch volumes are between six and eight tons during the same time period.  

It appears that the biggest problem is the lasting effects of last year's red tide.  The red tide itself was not toxic, but generated waste that has forced the lobsters to move to other ocean locations.  The red tide has also affected coastal fisherman in San Felipe, Rios Lagaros, El Cuyo, Coloradas, Dzilam Bravo and Celestun.

Lobster fishing season in the Yucatan will run until February 28, 2013.