TBF
succeeds in push of Vessel Monitoring System
New
regulations enacted by INCOPESCA, the Costa
Rican fisheries agency, will require
electronic vessel monitoring systems (VMS)
on all commercial vessels larger than 56 ft.
that operate in Costa Rican waters. These
rules were published on August 5 and all
affected vessels must have operational
systems within six months of that date.
The Billfish Foundation’s (TBF) Chief
Scientist Dr. Russell Nelson and TBF Central
American Conservation Director Herbert Nanne
have been pushing INCOPESCA to develop these
regulations for a year-and-a-half. “The
mandatory use of VMS will allow Costa Rica’s
officials to monitor via satellite the exact
positions of all purse seine vessels and
large longliners and more easily enforce
closed areas and other conservation
directives,” said Nelson.
Nanne added, “Costa Rica does not allow
purse seine fishing on FADs (fish
aggregating devices) because of the high
bycatch of billfish, dorado, wahoo and other
finfish, but we have for years suspected the
foreign permitted vessels of using this
destructive fishing practice in Costa Rica’s
waters. Now VMS will reveal whether they are
fishing inside our 12 mile territorial
waters, or going into protected areas like
the Coco Island National Park waters.”
Ellen Peel, TBF President, observed, ”We all
owe Luis Dobles, the new President of
INCOPESCA for taking yet another step
towards stronger fisheries conservation.
Hopefully purse seiners being tracked on VMS
will think twice before repeating last
year’s incident in which several sport
fishing boats after being deliberately
surrounded by a large purse seine and
threatened while peacefully trolling for
tuna.”
The regulations taking effect Feb. 5, 2010,
do not apply to private and charter
sportfishing vessels.
Over the past year Costa Rica has been
proactive in enacting conservation laws and
measures to control commercial overfishing.
Last December INCOPESCA passed measures
protecting its sailfish and other sport
fishing resources by putting a halt to the
exportation of sailfish meat and stopped the
use of live bait by the commercial
long-liners. A month later Costa Rica formed
the first national sport fishing federation
representing the interests of its anglers
and the sport fishing tourism industry.
Established in 1986 The Billfish Foundation
by the late Winthrop P. Rockefeller is the
only non-profit organization dedicated
solely to conserving and enhancing billfish
populations worldwide. With world
headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., USA,
TBF’s comprehensive network of members and
supporters includes anglers, captains,
mates, tournament directors, clubs, sport
fishing and tourism businesses. By
coordinating efforts and speaking with one
voice, the organization works for solutions
that are good for billfish, not punitive to
recreational anglers and good for the local
economy.
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