Foreign Fishery Developments Cruz shipyards. The Mexican Navy was not completely satisfied with the Azteca's performance at high speeds and decided to build only IO vessels instead of the planned 54. The Azteca force currently forms the backbone of 's enforcement fleet, which is Mexico's Marine supplemented by regular Navy units Fisheries Enforcement consisting of two , seven , 35 , and 10 older patrol boats. Many of these ves­ Mexico, along with many other Mexico's Navy sels were built in the United States. coastal states, is rapidly building up a Mexico has also contacted Spain about capability to patrol its Exclusive Mexico's Secretariat of the Navy the purchase of patrol boats, but the Economic Zone (EEZ) by increasing (11,000 persons) is charged with results have not been made public. foreign purchases and domestic con­ maintenance of Mexican sovereignty Mexico's Navy is developing a new struction of fishery patrol vessels and over its 12-nautical-mile territorial sea patrol vessel, the Olmeca class. The aircraft. In addition, air strips are being and 200-mile EEZ. The Secretariat prototype is currently undergoing test­ constructed to monitor important sec­ began to expand its marine enforcement ing. If the Navy is satisfied, nine of tors of Mexico's EEZ. The Govern­ capabilities with Mexico's extension of these fast, long-range vessels will be ment's present policy was highlighted its fisheries jurisdiction to 200 miles. built. by the April 1979 visit of President The main force used to patrol the EEZ is Mexico relies on 36 U.S.-built Al­ Lopez Portillo to Clarion Island, in the the Navy's 31-vessel Azteca fleet. The batross aircraft for aerial surveillance of Eastern Pacific (Fig. 1). Azteca is a British-made patrol vessel, its EEZ. With the inauguration of the Mexico established its 200-mile EEZ 33-m long, which was originally de­ Socorro Island airbase, surveillance ac­ on 31 July 1976. This was considered signed for fisheries enforcement. The tivities on the Pacific coast are expected the last major achievement of former vessel was chosen for its efficiency, to increase significantly. President Luis Echeverria's fisheries simplicity, and low cost. A total of 21 policy. Mexico's extended jurisdiction of these vessels was built in the United covers nearly 4 million km2 of adjacent Kingdom. Mexico received the last of Gulf Coast Enforcement ocean, requiring greatly increased these vessels in late 1976. An addi­ capabilities to enforce fishery regula­ tional 10 of these vessels were built The Gulfof Mexico is especially rich tions. later in Mexico's and Salina in shrimp resources. Mexico has had major problems with illegal foreign fishing on the Bank, espe­ cially by Cuban vessels. United States and Cuban shrimp fishing off Mexico's Gulf Coast is scheduled to terminate on Figure I.-Offshore bases in Mexico's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). 31 December 1979, although the Unit­ ed States and Cuba are attempting to renegotiate fishing arrangements after 1979. Cuba and Mexico signed a fisheries agreement in July 1976 permitting Cuban access to the Mexican EEZ. Shrimp fishing was restricted to the Campeche Bank. Mexican shrimp fish­ ermen have been very critical of the agreements allowing foreign shrimp fishing and have demanded more strin­ gent enforcement measures. The Mexi­ can Navy plans to establish a seaplane base on Cayo Arcas to monitor the Campeche Bank. This new base was expected to become operational in late 1979 or 1980. The Mexican Navy seized a total of eight Cuban vessels inside

38 Marine Fisheries Review Mexico's 12-mile territorial seas during not currently known what enforcement stocks partly outside the Canadian zone 1 the first half of 1978 . activities, if any, will be conducted must be