SIGN UP FOR OUR By Wendy Anders
Fishermen meet with officials in northern Costa Rica to discuss the effects of shrimping boats on the ecosystem and fisheries.
A group of 50 fishermen last week protested outside the Costa Rican Fishery Agency (Incopesca) in Cuajiniquil, La Cruz in the northern Pacific Guanacaste province, said CREMA, a marine conservation non-profit, in a press release.
Their insistence sparked an emergency meeting of representatives of the Guanacaste Fishermen’s Chamber, local fishermen and development associations, Incopesca, as well as coast guard, public safety, and municipal officials.
The fishermen are protesting the presence of three shrimp boats that trawl in the waters of Santa Elena Bay, Bajo Rojo, and in front of Playa Rajada in waters less than 15 meters deep. Their activities are harming the environment, say the fishermen.
The waters around Punta Descartes and the Santa Elena Peninsula are important breeding sites for silky snapper (Lutjanus peru), which are the main income source for local fishermen. In the coastal communities of Cuajiniquil, El Jobo and Puerto Soley, more than 90 percent of families depend directly on fishing.
New regulations enacted in 2013 which changed the permitted minimal boat sizes have led to increased shrimping activities in Guanacaste’s north Pacific waters, and is jeopardizing the livelihood of artisanal fishers.
More than three years ago, the Guanacaste Fishermen’s Chamber said they would support new boat size regulations in exchange for Incopesca prohibiting shrimping vessels up to 5 miles off the coast, said the CREMA press release.
“It is not possible that we are required to use 4.5-inch nets to catch snapper, when they allow the shrimpers to use 1.75-inch net to catch absolutely everything we have,” said Guanacaste fisherman association president Martin Contreras. “We demand a response from the government and we request the removal of the shrimpers immediately,” Don Martin said energetically.
“We have long been working with the Guanacaste Conservation Area to create a marine area management to use our resources in a sustainable way, and in just weeks, these ships have destroyed the most important sites we have been working to protect,” added Heriberto Morales, Cuajiniquil fishermen’s association representative.
The presence of shrimpers is also of great concern to marine biologists. “Punta Descartes and Bahia Santa Elena are two of the most important sites for black and hawksbill turtles in the country, and the entire Eastern Pacific; they are species in danger of extinction,” explained CREMA biologist Maike Heidemeyer.
“Trawling in front of the nesting beaches in the middle of the breeding season of the black turtle (Chelonia mydas) creates heinous damage to the populations,” Heidemeyer said with concern. “Trawling not only kills adult breeding turtles, it also destroys the habitats on which they depend.”
The Gulf of Cuajiniquil, Bahía Santa Elena, Punta Descartes and Bahía Salinas belong to the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG). The area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and is recognized for its environmental fragility. Apart from sea turtle populations, a rich marine biodiversity has been identified in the area, particularly manta rays.
