In recent days, 25 fishing organizations from the communities of Puntarenas and Guanacaste have expressed their resounding opposition to the reactivation of trawling, through documents sent to the Legislative Assembly and the National Executive.
The Association of artisanal fishermen, filleters, related shipowners of Puntarenas, Nautical Association of Tamarindo, Red del Golfo Association and the Association of Tourist Artisanal fishermen, divers and related of Playa del Coco and the Chamber of Fishermen Shipowners and Related Activities of Guanacaste, are part of the voices that ask the Deputies not to approve the law file 21478, which aims to reactivate trawling in our country.
Additionally, they request the President of the Republic to receive them and to veto the initiative. The Association of artisanal fishermen, filleters, and related shipowners of Puntarenas, states in its letter of August 12th: “We are very sorry that a group of deputies, who call themselves defenders of our sector and are from the coastal communities of the country, have turned their back on us by promoting a project that will seriously harm us… Solutions for the fishing sector have to be comprehensive, and shrimp trawling would benefit a few for a short time, but would harm us the vast majority, generating irreparable environmental damage and aggravating the social and economic situation that the province has experienced for many years”.
The Chamber of Fishermen Shipowners and Related Activities of Guanacaste indicates in its manifesto that since trawling was prohibited, “a recovery of the biomass of fish with commercial interest has been evident, benefiting artisanal fishermen, which has allowed families that depend on fishing directly, have better income, and therefore a better opportunity for the wealth of the sea to be distributed evenly.
A call to Ticos for becoming aware of the situation
For its part, the artisanal fishing sector of Guanacaste and Puntarenas extend a request to the “coastal commercial sectors, tourism, local governments in the area, universities and social organizations, to show solidarity with this petition and manifest their opposition against trawling”.
In support of the thousands of artisanal and tourist fishermen, who have also been strongly affected by the Pandemic, MarViva Foundation urges the legislative assembly deputies and the President of the Republic to listen to their voices. And adhere to the request of the fishermen of Puntarenas to reject the reactivation of trawling and develop sustainable productive alternatives that generate real well-being and progress for all fishermen and shrimp farmers.
We also call on all citizens to add their signature to the petition “No to the reinstatement of trawling in Costa Rica” on the change.org platform, in support of the thousands of fishermen who would be affected and their families.
For more information please contact:
MarViva
Nash Ugalde Hidalgo – Communications Manager
4052-2500 / 8824-3781 nash.ugalde@marviva.
