The government of Mexico has announced financial support for commercial fishers whose business has been hurt by an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Mexican government claims that the spill began in March off the coast of Veracruz, with oil spreading out across hundreds of miles of ocean. Some environmental groups have questioned the official account, noting that evidence of a spill could be seen in February and suggesting the culprit was a pipeline operated by the government-run oil company. The Mexican government has denied those allegations, stating the oil was likely the product of natural seeps.
Regardless of origin, the slick oil has disrupted the livelihoods of fishers along the Mexican coast who have been unable to work.
Now, Mexico’s National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (Conapesca) has announced financial support for fishers impacted by the spill. The government will provide a total investment of MXN 55.2 million (USD 3 million, EUR 2.7 million), with individual fishers receiving MXN 15,000 (USD 838, EUR 728) directly through their Bienpesca cards. Conapesca said it will be issuing payments to 2,879 fishers in Tabasco and another 800 in Veracruz.
“The Mexican government, through Conapesca, is working to support the affected fishermen and women,” Commissioner of Aquaculture and Fisheries Rigoberto Salgado Vázquez said in a release.
In March, Conapesca announced that it had increased annual Bienpesca payments from MXN 7,500 (USD 423, EUR 365) to MXN 8,000 (USD 451, EUR 390).