Arizona’s brutal summers are something everyone has to acclimate to especially when they make the move to the hot arid desert. The 100°F daily temperatures effectively banish residents to the indoors where they can relax under air conditioning. Or many find themselves frantically searching for the nearest beach to beat the heat for a few days. Roughly a four hour drive from Phoenix, Puerto Peñasco’s sandy beaches, fresh seafood and endless margaritas make it a popular getaway — so popular in fact, that two million visitors flock to it’s shores each year.
Puerto Peñasco resides in the state of Sonora which is the largest fish producer in the country. More than 327 aquaculture facilities and 6,787 smaller vessels, which in total with deep-sea fishing produced 18,135 million pesos in 2020.
This year, the Government of the State of Sonora partnered with Secretariat of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources, Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Municipalities of Puerto Peñasco and Caborca and the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO) to celebrate and empower the Aquaculture industry by hosting the Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Festival held June 7 to 9.
The festival is held within the framework of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) declared by the United Nations General Assembly. It aims to focus attention and recognize the work of fishers and aquaculturists in Sonora and the northern Gulf of California for their contribution to the supply of healthy food as an engine of local economies and a mechanism to reduce poverty and sustainably conserve and use the resources of the sea.
The festival brings together subnational governments with key stakeholders in the artisanal fisheries and aquaculture value chain. Permit holders, cooperatives, buyers, marketers and distributors will be promoting the region’s products and generating commercial synergies that benefit the fisheries. Consumers have the opportunity to learn about the sustainable fishing practices many fisheries are using within the area benefiting both people and the environment.
In addition, organizations linked to artisanal fisheries and aquaculture will share experiences in events and lectures held at the Puerto Peñasco Center venue, where renowned chefs and gastronomy schools will be preparing the tasting and pairing menus for the Festival.
National guests include the State of Sonora and its 13 coastal municipalities, the State of Baja California and the San Felipe City Council. The international guest is the Comité Productivo de Jaiberos from Ancud – a marble crab fishing fleet made up of 19 vessels located in Chile.
If you are a seafood lover already feeling the effects of the summer weather here in Arizona and looking for a change of scenery, take a drive down to Puerto Peñasco to check out the Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Festival this coming month. For more information and tickets visit https://festivalpescasonora.mx/en#schedule
