Costa Rica Fishing Industry Threatened By Commercial Ships ff

Cost Rica is known as one of the best sport and deep sea fishing destinations in the world. The Northern Pacific region of the popular tourist destination is known for six different types of popular trophy winning game fish. Both marlin and sail fish can even be found year round in the warm Pacific waters of the Northern region. Tourists and local fishermen alike enjoy the satisfaction of hoisting a large Rooster fish, Pink Marlin, or even a Yellow Finned Wahoo on board. It is Costa Rica’s welcoming seas and abundance of rare fish that keep the Los Sueños Marina busy with camera happy tourists and recreational fishermen.

Lately, however, in some of the most popular tourist fishing locations, large seiner fishing ships have been spoiling the fun and threatening recreational fishing all over the world. A seiner is a special type of fishing boat that uses a seine, which is a large fishing net that hangs vertically down into the water anchored by weights along the bottom, to increase the daily catch. The nets are usually long and flat and resemble a chain link fence. Seiners drive around the fish in a circle in order to capture large amounts of fish at a time draining the popular fishing areas of their natural inhabitants. This method of fishing is popular amongst large commercial ships that mass produce seafood products onboard. Although the method proves to be rather successful in capturing large schools of fish in less time, it is threatening the local fishing community as well as Costa Rica’s bread winner; tourism.

The problem has escalated as industrial seiners are stepping their game up a notch to help increase the catch. Not only are they sucking mass numbers of fish out in schools and age classes at an expedited rate they are even relying on explosives. It was on June 20th that a helicopter reportedly dropped large explosives into the waters to help spot more fish for the large seiner vessels parked in the Los Sueños and Cobo Blanco area. On June 21st several recreational tourist anglers were spending a day out on the open sea when a ship that was flying a Nicaraguan flag and working for a Panamanian company churned the waters up a bit too much. The ship encircled the seven sport fishing boats tangling and threatening them with their nets. The commercial fishermen aboard the Nicaraguan vessel threatened and hurled insults to the trapped fishermen for an hour. Video footage from the incident proves that although no one was injured it was a truly terrifying experience for the men aboard the 7 boats involved. A Florida based conservation group, Billfish Foundation (TBF) reported a similar incident the following day.

On June 30, 2008 the Maverick Sport Fishing Yachts, involved in the June 21st incident, made contact with TBF to inform them about the unpleasant attack and even delivered the several video tapes and photos taken during the threatening incident as hard evidence. TBF was located in Panama at the time they were informed, meeting with the Central American Conservation Director at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission conference. The high power fishing foundations gladly addressed the issue to the head of Costa Rica’s fisheries INCOPESCA, Carlos Villalobos.

After Villalobos reviewed the many photos and videos, a formal government investigation was ordered to review the parties involved and to determine if the acts can be charged as criminal offenses. The investigation is still pending, however, Villalobos is promising that attacks such as these will never be tolerated in the peaceful Central American country of Costa Rica. Unfortunately, the Seiner vs. Angler incident isn’t taking place only in Costa Rica fishing waters.

A little less than a month ago in Mexico, a similar incident occurred of the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Some large seiner boats removed large classes of yellowfin tuna for over a week within just a few short miles from shore. The Cabo San Lucas area is a highly touristic area that brings in a large part of Mexico’s income through tourist anglers, who are no longer finding welcoming waters, nor are they catching fish; however this is not the only fishing problem in Central America.

Located 340 miles from the Pacific shore of Costa Rica’s Puntarenas, province Coco Island, one of Costa Rica’s National Parks is experiencing fishing problems as well. The island is surrounded by counter-currents and deep waters making it safe haven for hammerhead sharks, rays, dolphins and fish. It is for this reason that the 12 nautical miles around the island are protected against fishing, however, illegal fishing continues to be a problem.

During the first week of June the patrolman in charge of enforcing the protection laws in and around the island, discovered a large fishing line within the protected waters off the coast of Isla de Coco. The line floated upon the water’s surface with the aid of 91 buoys and upon investigation the patrol discovered Yellow Flipper Tuna, 5 dead sharks, 1 pink Marlin and one Hammer Head Shark among other marine life. As the coastguard and the patrol man removed the fishing line another ship approached. The ship was unmarked and just one of the 10 fishing boats in the protected area that day. The coast guard ordered through his loud speaker that the boat withdraw himself from the protected waters, however, the boat didn’t obey the order and other boats began to surround the patrolmen.

Manuel Monge Salazar shot twice against the water in order to warn approaching boats to keep their distance. Salazar explained that he “had to shoot because they ambushed and insulted us”. He acknowledged that most illegal fishermen are out in the water simply fishing to feed their families, however, it is his job and that of Costa Rica to make sure that the laws are enforced and these biological gems are preserved.

It is expected that as tourism continues to grow in Costa Rica the number of anglers in Costa Rica will also grow. It is because of Costa Rica’s Pura Vida (Pure Life) attitude and impressive natural inhabitants that people all over the world are investing in Costa Rica real estate, as well as moving to or exploring the small yet ever growing country. It is now up to the Costa Rica government to successfully protect and regulate both its land and sea in order to preserve the one of a kind beauty and biodiversity that calls Costa Rica home.