Source: PRETOMA
Posted by: PRETOMA - archive
Posted on: Feb 11, 2005 @ 1:02 pm
• • • PRESS RELEASE • • •

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Randall Arauz, President PRETOMA
TEL: +(506) 241-5227
FAX: +(506) 236-6017
info@tortugamarina.org, www.tortugamarina.org


Costa Rica Passes Long Awaited Fisheries Law

February 11, 2005 – San Jose, Costa Rica
On February 10, 2005 Costa Rican senators unanimously approved a new national fisheries law. The proposed law has been debated since 1995, when parts of an antiquated fisheries law from 1948 were ruled unconstitutional.

The new law includes a prohibition on shark finning and creates fines and jail terms for those involved in landing shark fins at Costa Rican ports. There are also stiff penalties for anyone who harms endangered sea turtles and the law requires shrimp fishermen to use TEDs, special devices which allow sea turtles to escape from shrimp nets.

For nearly 10 years, fishermen, senators, industry representatives and conservation groups have worked to finalize the text of the law which includes 173 articles.

Along with many senators, PRETOMA opposes portions of the new law that promote overexploitation of Costa Rica’s ocean resources, such as free permits to foreign vessels to fish tuna in Costa Rica’s national waters and increased sport fishing.

Four years ago PRETOMA led a campaign that halted the passage of a previous draft of the fishery law which would have granted even greater licenses to foreign fleets to fish in Costa Rican waters.

“The last thing Costa Rican fishermen and ocean species need are more vessels fishing in our waters and the region,” says Arauz. “If we truly want commercial and endangered species to recover we need to limit fleets, especially large advanced foreign fleets. And we need a moratorium on longlining in the international waters of the Eastern Pacific.”

Large foreign longline fleets that set millions of hooks began arriving to the region in the 1980s. Since then, the number of leatherback sea turtles nesting on the Pacific coast of Central America has declined by 97% and many national fishermen are struggling because commercial species have been depleted.

“Due to the fact that so many species, such as sea turtles, dolphins, tuna, mahi mahi, rays, swordfish, sailfish and sharks migrate throughout the region, the only way to truly keep from wiping them out is to work on a regional level,” says Arauz. “This new law combined with a recent halt to illegal landings by foreign vessels at private docks and the Ministry of Environment’s vision for creating some form of protection for 25% of Costa Rican waters, are important steps. However, even with the best laws and policies in Costa Rica, without regional cooperation species and fisheries are still threatened.”

PRETOMA (Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas) is a Costa Rican non-profit, non-governmental, marine conservation organization that works to promote responsible fisheries and protect sea turtles, sharks and marine biodiversity. Contact info@tortugamarina.org.