Red crab ban will be from February 1; the one in blue started on January 15

Every year, in Ecuador, a period of restrictions on the capture of fish and crustaceans is established. The Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries is the entity in charge of publicizing the closed periods of each one of them.

There are 22 marine species that are managed through partial or permanent closures and size limits for capture.

One of these is the red crab, especially desired in the Costa region. For this year, it was established that its first closed season is from February 1 to March 2, it is the well-known closed season for crustacean reproduction.

Those who violate the norm for its preservation will be penalized, according to what is determined by the Law of Fisheries and Fisheries Development of Ecuador. The sanction is contemplated in article 71 of the Fisheries Law: “a fine of two to ten unified basic remunerations of the worker in general ($950 to $4500 with the current unified basic salary) and imprisonment from 15 to 60 days, or with one of these sorrows only.”

The second ban will be given from August 15 to September 15 due to shell molting and its consumption can cause damage to humans.

These are the other marine species that have closed periods:

• blue crab: breeding season (January 15 to February 15), moulting season (August 15 to September 15).
• Shallow water shrimp: December 28 of the previous year until February 10.
• Locust: from January 16 to June 16.
• Shrimp ointment: from February 15 to March 20, from May 10 to June 23.
• Leaf resource: from February 1 to June 30.
• Octopus resource: from May 1 to June 30.
• Golden: from July 1 to October 7.
• Hake: from September 15 to October 31.

There are species with permanent closures such as the two species of shell Spondylus (spondylus calcifer Y Spondylus princeps) and sea cucumber (holothuria or holothuroidea). (YO)