The Gulf of San Miguel (Darién) is a frontier area of Panama where roads are only beginning to reach. Most of the 10,000 residents in 10 small villages surrounding the Gulf are “afrodarientas” and Emberá native peoples.<br> Extensive mangrove forests (400 km2) surround the 1,760 km2 area of the Gulf of San Miguel. Its waters are one of Panama’s principal fishing zones, providing approximately 75 percent of the nation’s shrimp landings. Over 1,000 artisanal fishers extract prawns from the Gulf, as well as finfish and shellfish. They also compete with Panama’s industrial shrimp fleet for this prime product. Despite the frontier nature of the area, most of the shrimp catch is exported by small plane to Panama City and subsequently to New York by container through a series of intermediaries.