Let's consume more domestically produced, sustainable seafood! The efforts of an industry-led NGO from Mexico (Part 1)

Fisheries and Aquaculture Promotion Council (COMEPESCA)
Chairman Citrali Gomez Repe 

Mexico is a producer of diverse seafood, yet it faces a structural dilemma: 80% of its production is exported, while 80% of its domestic consumption relies on imports. While Mexican seafood enjoys a high international reputation, many types of fish remain unknown domestically, presenting unique challenges to mainstreaming sustainable seafood.

Addressing this situation from within the industry is COMEPESCA (Consejo Mexicano de Promoción de los Productos Pesqueros y Acuícolas, AC), a Mexican non-profit industry organization. We spoke with its chairperson, Citrali Gómez, about the sustainable seafood movement originating in Mexico.

Citlali Gómez Lepe
As the president of Comepesca, a Mexican non-profit industry organization founded in 2003, she leads "Pesca Con Futuro" (Fisheries for the Future), a sustainable seafood movement originating in Mexico. She is a biologist and an expert in aquaculture and rural development. She studied biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). In 1992, she co-founded the multi-species aquaculture facility "Neminatura" with her family and has been engaged in rainbow trout farming and small-scale responsible agriculture and aquaculture projects in central Mexico for over 30 years. After serving on the board of directors of Comepesca, she became president in 2017. She is also a co-founder of "Alpescas," a Latin American sustainable fisheries alliance. From 2025, she will also serve on the board of directors of the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA).

A family of biologists starts farming rainbow trout.

—I understand that both of your parents were biologists.

Yes, that's right. My mother was Mexico's first plant physiologist. I was born in Mexico City, but due to my parents' studies and research, I traveled all over the world during my childhood and grew up on university campuses in the United States and Japan. I didn't attend a regular school; I was homeschooled. There were times when I felt lonely because I didn't have any childhood friends, but that was my reality, so I enjoyed it. I returned to Mexico when I was just starting to become a teenager. I attended middle and high school in Mexico.

—And then you yourself pursued a career in biology?

Yes. I went to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) and majored in biology. It was quite natural, as it was something I inherited from my parents. I've lived in the world of biology ever since I was born. It wasn't like I was agonizing over what to study in my final year of high school.

Around the time I became a university student, my family decided to start a rainbow trout farm. My mother had decided to live in a mountainous area about two hours' drive from Mexico City, and someone had apparently suggested that rainbow trout farming would be a good idea. The area was 2,000 meters above sea level and was blessed with abundant water resources, including many springs and waterfalls. So, my mother and grandfather started a rainbow trout farm. It was the first rainbow trout farm in the region.

A rainbow trout farm run by the Citrali Gomez family in the lush mountains of Mexico.
(Photo courtesy of Citrali Gomez)

While studying biology at university, my mother would ask me almost every week to "sell some rainbow trout," so I started selling them to make ends meet. After all, it was a family business. I didn't know anything about it, but that's how I met chefs and all sorts of other people.

Citrali Gomez giving an interview at her home.
(Provided by Citrali Gomez)MovieThan)

—After graduation, did you not pursue a career in research?

I ended up joining the family business. It wasn't so much that I chose it myself, but rather that my mother fell ill and my grandfather passed away, and I didn't even have time to think. I just had to work and help my family. I had no other choice. I married a biologist, and now my husband is in charge of managing the aquaculture farm.

But I love my job, and I like living in the mountains. I work in cooperation with the local community. As a biologist, I hold workshops to encourage people to raise rainbow trout, and now there are more than 100 rainbow trout farmers in the area.

Young rainbow trout being raised in a fish farm (Photo courtesy of Citrali Gomez)

Comepesca was an organization that promoted the consumption of seafood.

—What was theきっかけ (trigger/reason) for you to think about changing the industry from the market side?

In Mexico, nobody even knew that rainbow trout existed. Because we had to sell rainbow trout, we needed to change the market itself.

Then, I joined Comepesca, which had been established for about three to four years. In one year's board election, I was elected to the board and served as a board member for six years before becoming president.

—How did Comepesca come to be founded in the first place?

When it was founded in 2003, it was a non-profit organization that promoted the consumption of seafood with government support. There was no talk of sustainability or increasing the consumption of domestically produced seafood.

According to data from around 2000, Mexicans consumed only about 6 kg of seafood per person per year. This was far below the amount recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), so the government implemented policies to promote consumption, and it has now increased to 16 kg per person per year.

Pangasius fillets sold at a Mexican fish market © Ignacio Urquiza

However, the important thing is to eat Mexican seafood. Mexico exports 80% of its seafood production to other countries, while importing 80% of its seafood consumption. For example, people eat a lot of tilapia and pangasius from China and Vietnam. What we are aiming for is for people to eat more of their own seafood. For example, we are working to get people to eat domestically produced rainbow trout instead of salmon. Mexico does not produce salmon, but consumption is high, and salmon is imported from countries like Chile.

A change of direction after becoming the chairman of Comepesca.

—Could you tell us about the initiatives you've undertaken since becoming the chairperson of Comepesca in 2017?

After I became president, the federal government changed, and the government stopped supporting Comepesca. That was about seven or eight years ago. As president, I felt it was necessary to steer Comepesca in a more meaningful direction, and I began promoting sustainability. I amended the articles of association to promote only sustainable, traceable, and legal seafood from Mexico, and sometimes from Latin America as well.

—Was it difficult to change Comepesca's policies?

I myself am a conservationist, so I was always opposed to the previous board of directors. The directors were simply seafood brokers who were only interested in making more money. They disliked me.

Our current board is comprised of producers and distributors. We're not fighting anything; we're doing positive things and discussing how we can make things better. We don't badmouth imports. Our strategy is to talk about the good things happening in Mexico and the social significance of buying from local fishermen and small-scale regional aquaculture farms.

—How did you persuade the members who were opposed?

We involved many more people in the dialogue. When I joined Comepesca, there were only 8 member companies, but now there are about 50. We've also gained members who are forward-thinking and have obtained certifications such as MSC, ASC, and BAP.

So what we tried was to invite people who were already working on obtaining sustainability certifications into the dialogue. That way, even the members who were opposed had no choice but to say, "Okay, let's do it." To be honest, two of the founders of Comepesca, the former chairmen, left. Nevertheless, the number of supporters steadily increased.

A movement involving producers, chefs, and buyers, with an eye on the future.

--Please tell us about "Pesca Con Futuro" (Future-Oriented Fisheries), which promotes sustainable seafood in Mexico.

This is a movement where producers, chefs, and buyers think about sustainable seafood practices. It started as a small campaign, but it grew into a movement.

"Pesca Con Futuro (Fisheries with a Forward Look)" started as a small campaign.
(Photo courtesy of COMEPESCA)

A few years ago, nobody thought this would ever happen. The producers said, "Okay, but do it yourselves. We're not going to pay anything." They still don't pay the costs, but at least they're involved in the process. The former president, who is still a member of Comepesca, didn't originally believe in sustainability, but now he's certified.

"Pesca Con Futuro (Fishing with a Forward Mind)" has developed into a movement that involves many people in Mexico.
(Photo courtesy of COMEPESCA)

—What do you think is behind its acceptance by so many people in Mexico?

The market is shaping the path. There are many businesses that don't quite believe in what we're doing, but retailers are demanding sustainable seafood, so they're joining the dialogue. We've seen this coming for several years now.

Major retailers and hotels like Hilton, Hyatt, and Iberostar are all demanding sustainable seafood. They haven't achieved 100% yet, but they're doing their best. Now it's not Comepesca saying "we have to do it," but the markets saying, "We can't do business with you unless the seafood is sustainable."

That's why people are now working on obtaining certifications and managing the chain of custody (CoC).

The "Pesca Con Futuro (Future-Oriented Fishing)" campaign is also involving chefs.
(Photo courtesy of COMEPESCA)

—I hear you're involving chefs as well.

While chefs don't buy large quantities of seafood, they're like rock stars, setting trends. Nobody used to talk about Mexican seafood, but now chefs are saying, "What?! You're importing salmon?!" and recommending all sorts of domestic seafood. We let them take the lead, and we simply provide them with the sustainable seafood map and information created by Comepesca.

This interactive map, released by COMEPESCA as part of its "Pesca Con Futuro" campaign, shows the locations of sustainable fishing and aquaculture projects (and projects in the acquisition process) across Mexico (Image courtesy of COMEPESCA).

Retail buyers are also involved. Costco and Walmart account for over 60-70% of the market share among retailers in Mexico, and they are acting on instructions from their US headquarters. Costco is already increasing its purchases of domestically produced goods from within Mexico. Walmart has an incentive to buy certified products, but it does not yet have a policy regarding the purchase of domestically produced goods.

 The strength of being an industry-led NGO

—I understand that you now have about 50 member companies. It's unique that your members are corporations. As an NGO, why are you composed of corporations rather than citizens?

Only companies can join Comepesca. We are what you might call an "industry-based" organization. However, small businesses are also welcome. We have 50 member companies, but one of them represents 500 small-scale fishing cooperatives across the country, and we count that as one company.

Small-scale fishing accounts for a large portion of Mexico's fishing industry © Ignacio Urquiza

—In the sense that small-scale fisheries make up a large portion of the industry, Mexico's fishing structure is quite similar to Japan's.

It's important to involve small-scale fishermen in the dialogue on sustainability. I don't think it can be considered a legitimate movement without them.

—Why are industry-led NGOs functioning so well?

We know how to sell fish, and we know how to manage money. Our decision-making is based on knowledge that has been passed down through generations. Tuna and sardine dealers, for example, have been in business for three or four generations.

Sometimes, when I hear people from other NGOs who have never sold a single fish talking about markets, I wonder if they really understand what they're talking about. They certainly have very good intentions, but they don't understand the market, and only truly grasp it after our predictions have actually happened. The point is, you need to start by selling fish. Whether it's fish, tomatoes, or anything else, if you're going to work in a market-related field, having experience selling something in your life is essential.

A fishmonger weighs fish at a Mexican market © Ignacio Urquiza

Conversely, we have learned a great deal from other NGOs. There were things we hadn't considered, such as how to fund projects and different perspectives. Comepesca is also challenging; we're constantly clashing with each other. Everyone is in competition in the market. But at least at Comepesca, we repeatedly say, "We're all in the same boat." Once you're on the boat, you have to do what needs to be done to reach your destination. So that the boat doesn't sink.

"We are all in the same boat." © Ignacio Urquiza

Part 2So, let's talk about what Mexico wants to learn from Japan to revive its ancient fish-eating culture, the price barriers that hinder domestic consumption, traceability initiatives to combat IUU fishing, and strategies for mainstreaming sustainable seafood. 

Interviewed and written by: Chiho Iuchi

He writes articles mainly about science, technology, and culture in both Japanese and English. After working for the Japan Finance Corporation for Small and Medium Enterprises (now the Japan Finance Corporation) and the English-language newspaper The Japan Times, he has been freelance since 2016. In 2024, he completed a Master's program in Sustainability Studies at the Hosei University Graduate School of Public Policy. He is a director of the Japan Council of Science and Technology Journalists.