Tilapia fisheries in Sinaloa reservoirs: toward sustainable exploitation.

Abstract

Reservoir fisheries in Mexico have gained increasing importance as a source of food, employment, and livelihood for rural communities; however, they face limitations associated with data availability and the implementation of generalized management schemes. The present study analyzes the importance of the tilapia fishery (Oreochromis spp.) in the reservoirs of Sinaloa and identifies the main challenges to advancing toward sustainable exploitation. Sinaloa ranks among the leading tilapia-producing states in Mexico, with the Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Reservoir, Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez Reservoir, and Guillermo Blake Aguilar Reservoir standing out as major production systems. Nevertheless, national production remains insufficient to meet domestic demand. In 2024, Mexico imported 134,831 tons of tilapia, mainly from China, representing approximately 43% of the country's total fishery imports. In addition, limitations were identified in the current regulatory framework and management schemes, which are characterized by uniform approaches that fail to adequately consider variability among reservoirs in terms of productivity, population structure, fishing pressure, and environmental conditions, particularly hydrological variability. In this context, it is concluded that reservoir-specific management strategies are necessary to strengthen the effectiveness of fisheries management and regulation.