I am trying to locate a commercial source of Longjaw Mudsuckers
(Gillichthys mirabilis). I would especially like to find a source in
Mexico (Baja California in particular).

The longjaw mudsucker is a small fish, commonly used as bait. A photo
of it is here: http://intergate.sdmesa.sdccd.cc.ca.us/ilc/biology/fishes/images/Long-jawed%20Mudsucker.jpg

Hopefully, the commercial fishery would be able to supply around 10K
to 20K fishes per month.

Hello,

I did not find any place online that could say definately whether one
particular Mexican fishery could supply the fish you want. However, I
did find several places where you could ask.

Sección Amarilla (www.seccionamarilla.com.mx) lists seven fisheries in
Baja California and three in Baja California Sur. Use the following
URLs:
<http://www.seccionamarilla.com.mx/Listados_indirectos.asp?estado=Baja%20California|BC&QueryText=108354%3CIN%3ECategorias%3CAND%3E%28%3CSTEM%3EACUACULTORES%3CIN%3ENombreCategoria%29&catname=Acuacultores&EstadoVerity=Baja%20California|BC>

<http://www.seccionamarilla.com.mx/Listados_indirectos.asp?estado=Baja%20California%20Sur|BCS&QueryText=108354%3CIN%3ECategorias%3CAND%3E%28%3CSTEM%3EACUACULTORES%3CIN%3ENombreCategoria%29&catname=Acuacultores&EstadoVerity=Baja%20California%20Sur|BCS>

One source not listed in that phone book but found at the Red Mexicana
de Investigaciónes en Acuacultura
(http://www.cibnor.mx/redacui/econsej.html) is a Jaime Malagamba of
Acuacultores de la Península in La Paz, BCS. His e-mail is
jjmalagamba@yahoo.com.mx.

You could also try the Mexican aquaculture trade association:

Federación de Acuícultores de México
Culicán, Sinaloa
Telephone: (67) 152868
rubenasl@hotmail.com
<http://famac.www7.50megs.com/famac.html>

Or you could try the government agencies that regulate aquaculture:

Dirección General de Acuacultura
cramirez@semarnap.gov.mx
Telephone: 5595 3307

Instituto Nacional de la Pesca
5604 9169
adiaz@inp.semarnap.gob.mx

According to section 16 of
(http://lectura.ilce.edu.mx:3000/sites/ciencia/volumen2/ciencia3/081/htm/oceano.htm),
a primer on Mexican aquaculture, the Instituto Nacional de la Pesca
has offices in Ensenada, Bahía de Tortugas and La Paz. I did not find
the Ensenada office in the phone book listed above.

I hope this information is of help.

Search strategy:

Aguacultores México
<://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&q=Acuacultores+M%C3%A9xico&meta=>

Pesca comercial Baja California
<://www.google.ca/search?q=Pesca+comercial+Baja+California&hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8>

Pesca Baja California
<://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&q=Pesca+Baja+California&meta=>

Acuicultura Baja California
<://www.google.ca/search?q=Acuicultura+Baja+California&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&start=40&sa=N>

Acuicultura Mexicana
<://www.google.ca/search?q=Acuicultura+Mexicana&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&start=10&sa=N>

and other searches like those

---

Clarification of Answer by mwalcoff-ga on 30 May 2002 03:23 PDT

I did a bit more digging and found contacts for the Instituto Nacional
de la Pesca in Baja California. Go to
(http://inp.semarnap.gob.mx/directorio.htm) and scroll down for
numbers in Ensenada and La Paz.

I also looked for information on capture fisheries (rather than
culture fisheries). Unfortunately, I came up with fewer results than
with aquaculture. Most "pesca" references in Baja California refer to
sport fishing rather than commercial fishing. Perhaps the INP can help
you out there.

beretta619-ga, 


Here's the one site I could find.   They sell many fish varieties of
'Goby' -- the species that the Longjaw Mudsucker is classified under. 
 See: http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/kopec/tr9/html/fam-gobies.html

For some reason, none of the commercial wholesale fisheries listed
Longjaws, mudsuckers, or Gillichthys mirabilis as a product, which is
why the general 'gobie' reference was the only to yield any results.

here is what I've found: 

Oceans, Reefs, & Aquariums, Inc.
Vince Rado, Sales Manager
5600 US 1 North, Acted Building
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
Phone: 561-468-7008
Fax: 561-468-7353
Email: vrado@hboi.edu
Website: www.orafarm.com
Sells to: wholesalers, retailers
Company type: imports, exports, processes
Shipping: air freights
Products/species: clownfish, seaweeds, gobies, dottybacks, conch,
tridacna clams

this wasn't answer-worthy, but I hope it helps.  There seems to be
much legislative (fish & Game ) references to the LongJaw.  Maybe its
a prohibited bait for large commercial use?

bitmaven-ga

Thank you for the help. I put many hours into trying to locate a
wholesale fishery that stocks the mudsucker and didn't have any luck
either.. I suppose it's possible that it's just one of those things
that nobody sells.. I know it's not protected as the County of San
Diego does issue permits to catch them. Just not in the quantities I
was looking for.

.
Just an off-the-wall thought here... 

Since California requires a permit to import these babies
commercially, might the licensing department be a good source of
information?

If the permits issued or the information on the permit are a matter of
public record, then you should be able to get the name and contact
information for importers - maybe even their Mexican sources?

TexasT