Abstract

TREJO-LGUERAVIDE, Rubén. Evaluation of aquaculture farming in Tamaulipas, Mexico. CienciaUAT [online]. 2017, vol.12, n.1, pp.114-133. ISSN 2007-7858.

Aquaculture development in Tamaulipas has been based on aquaculture farming experiences of other Mexican states and has been subject to Mexican government programs and strategies aimed at supporting farmers. The main objective of this study was to determine the economic and financial feasibility of small and medium scale Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), tilapia (Oreochromis spp.), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and american oyster (Crassostrea virginica) products as well as possible synergies with government programs aimed at supporting Mexican aquaculture. Based on statistics developed by CONAPESCA, financial analyses for such products were carried out. In regards to the shrimp and catfish, their analyses were adjusted taking into consideration survey data from farmers of these species. In addition to this, interview data were used to identify possible sources of funding from government programs. It was determined that one portion of government strategies are focused on micro-scale activities, benefitting people with incomes below five times the minimum wage in Mexico, and who have assets of below US$ 10 000. However, the results have not been positive and to date there is no aquaculture production on record for any microscale business from the aforementioned socioeconomic segment. Furthermore, it was found that this support would be exclusively granted towards supporting investments in fixed assetsfor aquaculture farms with high working capital needs, promoting the development of farms that cannot be operated due to lack of resources in this vulnerable socioeconomic segment. With the culture techniques analyzed in this study, oyster farming could be an appropriate option for the development of aquaculture in the state's low and medium socioeconomic segments, while shrimp, catfish and oyster farming could be successful options for the high socioeconomic segment.

Keywords : shrimp; catfish; tilapia; oyster; Tamaulipas.