A group of conservation organisations wants to see Costa Rica’s status as a nation that repeatedly practices Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, applying pressure for the NMFS to present a negative finding against Costa Rica in its next Biannual Report in 2023 to the US Congress.
The coalition of eighteen Marine Conservation Organisations has presented evidence to the Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce (IATC) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that Costa Rica is in violation of at least two fisheries conventions as well as US Public Law, and its actions threaten populations of endangered sharks and commercial billfish.
A negative finding for Costa Rica by NMFS could deny Costa Rican fishing vessels access to US ports and potential import restrictions on fish or fish products under the US Moratorium Protection Act.
Costa Rican biologist Randall Arauz, leader of the coalition and Marine Watch International Policy Director in Costa Rica, said, ‘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.’
Specifically, the petition lists several violations under the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas treaty (ICCAT), including the illegal take of endangered hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, and thresher sharks, as well as illegal take of swordfish without a quota and overfishing of white marlin.
‘Costa Rica is killing sharks and sea turtles and undermining international fishing treaties designed to create sustainable fisheries. If Costa Rica cannot meet its international legal obligations, the US should sanction Costa Rica and prevent the sale of its fish products into the U.S. marketplace. Americans don’t want to eat fish that are caught in ways that are destroying ocean wildlife,’ said Todd Steiner, marine ecologist and Executive Director of Turtle Island Restoration Network.
The coalition has also called out Costa Rica’s failure to institute an onboard observer programme after twelve years of promising one, without which it is impossible to properly document and manage its fisheries. Costa Rica is similarly in violation of its treaty obligations under the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission treaty (IATTC).
‘A negative finding should be a wakeup call for the Costa Rican government to take corrective actions and lead the process for other countries to take similar measures to comply with their international maritime agreements,’ said Joe Ryan of Beyond the Se@.
