Abstract

Surveys were carried out during 1998, 1999 and 2002, interviews were performed to fishermen, buyers, goverment officers and local people. With the main objective to report the existent areas where the clam Mercenaria sp. is located, some important fishing issues as fishing gears, harvesting methods, labor periods and marketing were described. In most areas, clam harvest is uneven and has domestic consumption, only in Carmen lagoon, Tabasco an incipient commercial fishing exists, although small extractions exist in Tamaulipas and El Bellote, Tabasco. Clam harvest production in Carmen Lagoon, Tabasco, from 1995 to 1998 were around seven tons. In this area exists 20 clam fishermen, all are meo, which age fluctuation is between 15 to 20 years. They attend the harvest areas using boats of 7.5 meters of length. Harvest method is manual and it comprises "feet touchingD to a depth of 1 to 1.20 m. Each fisherman extracts 200 to 250 claros in one single trip offour hours. The paid price by claro depends on size ($ 0.40 to $ 0.80 Mexican pesos by piece) and the prices of sale in the markets are $1.50 to $ 2.00 pesos. Marketing clam places are: Mexico City and other cities and towns such as Oaxaca, Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz and Paraiso. Due to the demand's small scale, fishery is underdeveloped. Few information about the potential of clam banks is available, as well as their biology and ecology. Therefore, is recommended to carry out studies to know the resource availability in the different zones to recommend future management measures for extraction.

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