SeafoodS0urce
2 February 2023
Costa Rica is violating at least two international fisheries conventions and U.S. law by its failure to adequately protect endangered shark and commercial billfish populations, according to a coalition of 18 marine conservation organizations.
The group, which includes MarViva, Marine Watch International, For The Oceans Foundation, Sea Legacy, The SeaChange Agency, La Asociación Centro Restauración Especies Marinas Amenazadas (CREMA), and the Turtle Island Restoration Network, among others, said it presented a report including evidence of the violations to the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs Trade on 27 January, 2023.
‘‘Costa Rica has long turned over the direction of fishery policy to the sole interest of commercial fisheries, disregarding science and ignoring the public interest, with the result that Costa Rica is now an international pariah when it comes to fisheries management. Endangered sharks and billfish are in greater threat than ever in Costa Rican waters,’’ Costa Rica Marine Watch International Policy Director Randall Arauz said. Arauz also serves as the coalition’s leader.
