VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — Every year, the fish market in the Mexican seaside city of Veracruz is packed with customers for Holy Week. This year it was almost empty.
Due to the large amount of oil spilled, gulf of mexico It extends over 373 miles (600 kilometers) across the ocean and permeates seven nature reserves. Mexicans who have worked for years in Veracruz’s booming fishing industry say the blow comes at the busiest time of the year.
The normally crowded market was deserted on Friday, with some vendors loudly advertising their products in a desperate bid to attract customers. Since the spill, fishing has declined off the coast of the coastal states of Veracruz, Tabasco and Tamaulipas.
“This is our livelihood,” said a worried Miguel López Rojas, owner of a fish stall in a popular market.
A fisherman stands on the shore after a fishing trip was canceled due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Salinas, Mexico. Authorities said the incident stemmed from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil spills. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A fisherman stands on the shore after a fishing trip was canceled due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Salinas, Mexico. Authorities said the incident stemmed from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil spills. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
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authorities country The researchers said the spill was caused by a ship anchored off the coast of the port city of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state and two “natural seeps.”
The government estimates that about 430 tons of hydrocarbons have been collected along the coasts of three Mexican states, but rules out the possibility of serious environmental damage from the spill. Nevertheless, reports and images of dead turtles, eels, and fish washing up on Mexican beaches or floating near the coastline are being circulated by local media.
López-Rojas said the oil spill has not only caused a dramatic drop in fish supplies, but fish purchases are also down as consumers avoid fish.
Amid public concern, federal health officials dismissed reports of illnesses linked to seafood consumption, citing possible contamination.
But there are still concerns across the country.
“We have to be careful about contamination because we don’t yet know what this spill will cause,” Susana Gutierrez, a 67-year-old seamstress, said at a market in Mexico City.
A clump of oil residue stains the beach after a fishing trip was canceled due to an oil spill that Mexican authorities said originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil seeps along the Gulf Coast in Salinas, Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A clump of oil residue stains the beach after a fishing trip was canceled due to an oil spill that Mexican authorities said originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil seeps along the Gulf Coast in Salinas, Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
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As federal and state authorities ramp up efforts to contain the spill and clean up beaches, fishermen are also struggling to make ends meet after being forced to halt fishing almost entirely to prevent oil from contaminating boat engines and nets, effectively losing their main source of income.
“This year has been a very tragic year for us, because we have never experienced anything like this in our lives,” said Norma González Pérez, a fisherman from the town of Salinas in southwestern Veracruz state.
Veracruz is one of Mexico’s major fish producing regions. According to official statistics, in 2024, Eastern Province produced about 2.76% of the country’s fish, oysters and seafood production. Fish is an essential element in many of the state’s traditional dishes.
Authorities have not yet released the number of fishermen affected by the spill, but activists say it could be in the hundreds. González Pérez said the situation has gotten so bad for some fishermen that they have had to resort to bank loans.
Holy Week, once a festive season for them marked by a bumper crop of fish due to the annual fish migration in the Gulf of Mexico, now feels much more grim, she said.
“There will be no celebrations or anything this year,” González Perez said. “There’s basically nothing this year.”
Mexican Navy sailors collect oil-soaked sargassum from the Gulf of Mexico spill on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Mexican authorities said it originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil spills in Veracruz, Mexico. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Mexican Navy sailors collect oil-soaked sargassum from the Gulf of Mexico spill on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Mexican authorities said it originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil spills in Veracruz, Mexico. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
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