Exclusion in the gulf of Mexico: Fishermen’s view of the oil industry in tabasco

Abstract

Rules were established in the shallower waters of Tabasco to prevent fishing close to oil platforms ships. The article analyzes the perception of exclusion on the part of fishermen with respect to the petrolization of their marine space. Three workshops were carried out in order to obtain the fishermen’s view; participatory mapping was employed to get an understanding of their fishing areas and of oil activities, as well as of the tensions between them and the “others”. Spatial injustice is evident in the active exclusion of fishermen from the space surrounding oil platforms, as well as in the passive exclusion due to contamination, insecurity, and even more, bleak perspectives for the future. The article shows that these exclusions began with an acceptable arrangement for the inclusion of fishermen, which, nevertheless, led to their exclusion in order to increase extraction, given the exhaustion of Mexico’s public oil extraction system.