The Gulf of Montijo, in Panama, is located in the coastal sector of the Pacific Ocean belonging to the province of Veraguas. The Gulf of Montijo is a deep marine inlet with a maximum width of 27 kilometers. It has a trim and steep coast which is low since it is marshy at the bottom of the Bay. The Panamanian rivers of San Pedro, San Pablo and El Cobre flow into the Gulf of Montijo.

The Gulf of Montijo has a warm climate, but not to humid, with precipitations around the 1.500 mm., which come from June to November. The dominant vegetation is the tropical forest. This gulf extends between Punta Brava and Punta Hato Viejo.

Mariato District located in front of the Gulf of Montijo

In the Province of Veraguas is the famous District of Mariato, which was founded in the year 2001 and is situated in front of the Gulf of Montijo. The nature that predominates this sector is its beaches, rivers, mountains and a countless number of islands. From Mariato foreigners and nationals can visit different points of the Gulf of Montijo, such as: the forest reserves of the Montuoso in the province of Herrera and Cerro Hoya in the province of Los Santos. Near the Gulf of Montijo there are several islands such as Cebaco, as well as the Parque Nacional Isla Coiba, and island of great size. There are also mangrove areas bordering part of its coast.

Exuberant beaches

The extensive Gulf of Montijo offers access to several beaches from the coasts of Mariato, among these we have: Santa Catalina located in the District of Sona and is internationally known for surfing. The warmth of the people in Mariato make visitors feel like they are home.

Gulf of Montijo: A place for comercial fishing

A zone with great marine wealth in Panama is the Gulf of Montijo, for this reason the Panamanian government has set a series of requirements to develop commercial fishing and avoid uncontrolled fishing to provide protection to the marine species. Among the requirements to commercially fish in Gulf of Montijo is the attainment of permits, licenses and IDs. In order to fish “revolturas”, sea basses, “sierra” and the common snook there is a riverbank permit which allows the use of a three and a half inch net or more such as lines and hooks. As far as the license, it is only issued for the capture of porgy, grouper and shark.

The personnel of the Autoridad Maritima de Panama (Panama’s Maritime Authority) frequently monitor the fishing zones, inspect the workers and confiscate all kinds of fishing nets that do not comply with the rules. This entity also coordinates with the units of the Servicio Maritimo Nacional (National Maritime Service) make inspections during the fixed prohibition dates.