The demand of sardine for tuna farms in Mexico has enabled the sardine fleet of Ensenada to continue operating on a permanent basis to keep up the supply. It has also reactivated the supply of sardines and other pelagic species like mackerel and anchovy to the local market.
The National Chamber of the Mexican Fishing Industry (Canainpesca) has informed through its Director of the Specialized Section on fishing plants, Ms Berta Martinez, that during 2004 catches of sardine and mackerel were used mainly for tuna farms, since these species are their main food for bluefin tuna.
The Bluefin farms demand for these products has permitted the sardine fleet operating locally to maintain a continuous operation, which is no longer required by the sardine canning industry.
The sardine demand on behalf of the tuna fattening farms is very important since the farmed tuna require a period 5 months before they have reached the right size and weight for processing. During this period of time, 100 tons of tuna in farms are fed 7 tons of fresh sardines daily. This is generating a constant demand for the product that is well supplied by local fleet.
The sardines are put into the tuna pens by using a special feeding method: the sardines are placed in a net, which is introduced into the cages by trained divers to avoid any loss of product.