Oyster farms in Baja California Sur produced more than six million units between 2018 and 2024, according to federal records, as the state positions small-scale aquaculture at the center of its coastal economic strategy. The production figures, shared during a Sustainability Symposium at the annual Oyster Festival, place BCS oyster farming among the most productive sectors in the state’s marine economy.
The symposium was organized by the Mexican Association of Oyster Farmers, known as AMEXO, and Veleros Beach Club. Speakers outlined how small-scale aquaculture fits within Mexico’s “blue economy” model, a framework that ties coastal economic activity to environmental conservation and social equity.
Comondú Produced 77% of BCS Aquaculture Output Since 2018
Data from CONAPESCA, Mexico’s national fisheries and aquaculture commission, shows the municipality of Comondú generated 6,307,000 oyster units from 2018 through 2024. That figure represents 77% of total aquaculture production in the municipality. Other farmed species in Comondú include yellowtail, horse mackerel, and clams, but none approaches the oyster’s dominance.
Comondú stretches along the Pacific coast of BCS, with its main population center in Ciudad Constitución. The municipality’s sheltered bays and estuaries provide ideal conditions for oyster cultivation. Farms there typically operate on a small scale, using suspended longline or rack-and-bag systems that keep oysters off the seabed and reduce habitat disruption.
The municipality of Mulegé, farther north along the Sea of Cortez, has also emerged as a regional leader in small-scale aquaculture. Mulegé’s coastline includes Bahía Concepción, a shallow bay that has hosted oyster and clam farming cooperatives for decades. Together, these two municipalities account for the bulk of BCS aquaculture outside the Los Cabos tourism corridor.
UABCS Researchers Push Shift Away From Bottom Trawling
Ivonne Pintor, a marine sciences specialist at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS), presented at the symposium on the role of small-scale aquaculture within the blue economy framework. She drew a direct contrast between sustainable oyster farming and bottom trawling, a fishing method that drags weighted nets along the ocean floor and damages marine habitats.
To qualify under the blue economy model, Pintor explained, a productive activity must meet four criteria: it must apply sustainable practices, support environmental conservation, encourage social equity and cooperation, and promote economic growth through good governance, innovation, and technology. Small-scale oyster farming, she said, checks all four boxes.
The distinction matters because Baja California Sur has historically relied on extractive fishing methods. The Sea of Cortez sardine fishery, for example, has faced repeated overfishing warnings from Mexican regulators. Oyster aquaculture offers an alternative that produces protein without depleting wild stocks. Each oyster also filters roughly 50 gallons of water per day, so farms can improve local water quality in the bays where they operate.
Pintor acknowledged that industrial aquaculture models can supply products at larger volumes. But she argued that technology and innovation now make it possible to scale responsible systems without resorting to destructive practices.
From Comondú Farms to Los Cabos Restaurant Tables
Oysters farmed in Comondú and Mulegé increasingly appear on menus in La Paz and Los Cabos, where restaurants market them as locally sourced and sustainably raised. The Oyster Festival itself, held annually, has become a showcase for this supply chain, connecting producers with chefs and consumers in the state’s tourism hubs.
La Paz restaurants along the Malecón now regularly feature BCS oysters alongside imported varieties from Sonora or the Pacific Northwest. In Cabo San Lucas, several seafood restaurants have added tasting menus that highlight Comondú oysters by name. This farm-to-table traceability gives diners a direct connection to the source, and it gives farmers a price premium over anonymous wholesale channels.
The price difference is significant. Locally branded oysters can sell for 25 to 40 pesos each (roughly $1.40 to $2.25 USD) at upscale restaurants, compared with 10 to 15 pesos ($0.55 to $0.85 USD) at wholesale. That margin helps sustain the small cooperatives that dominate BCS oyster production.
Pintor said the main challenge now is to strengthen these practices and consolidate the transition to a blue economy across the state’s entire coastline. AMEXO’s next annual meeting is expected later this year, where producers will review updated CONAPESCA production data and discuss expansion plans for farms in both Comondú and Mulegé. The production figures and symposium details were first reported by the Gringo Gazette.