Training of Costa Rican longline fishermen, fishery observers and government agencies to increase post-release survival of incidentally captured sea turtles

Citation
Andraka S, Parga M (2016) Training of Costa Rican longline fishermen, fishery observers and government agencies to increase post-release survival of incidentally captured sea turtles. ISSF Technical Report 2016-09, Washington DC USA
Abstract

Incidental capture of sea turtles is an important problem in fisheries worldwide, and one of the main
causes of the decrease of their populations. While effective alternatives to reduce incidental capture
are studied and put in place, identifying methods to increase an animal’s probability of survival after
incidental capture is a priority. There are currently already a number of techniques and procedures
which are well known, and which can already be recommended or discouraged in order to increase
the chances of an animal surviving the interaction with fisheries. All this information should be
passed onto fishermen, fishery observers and government agencies in order to improve marine turtle
post-release survival.
Costa Rica is currently very interested to address its problems with fisheries interacting with marine
turtles in a proactive and effective way, and wants to work on this issue to comply with the
regulations recently put forward by the Government. In November 2014 the Executive Decree N.
38681-MAG-MINAE was published on the “Management for the efficient use of tuna and similar
species in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Costa Rican Pacific” (popularly know as “the Tuna
Decree”). This requires, among other regulations, the training of fishermen and fishery observers in
these best practices, and the use of adequate equipment and tools on board longline vessels.
Furthermore, the private sector (both producers and seafood exporters) has expressed its
compromise to improve its operations towards a responsible and sustainable fishing of large pelagic
fish. Two important processes are currently taking place in the country, including: a) the
implementation of “the Tuna Decree”; and b) the beginning of a project to improve the mahi-mahi
fishery, in response to the demands of the US market, which wants products coming from
responsible fisheries. Both cases require the application of measures to mitigate the incidental
capture of marine turtles.
Additionally, Costa Rica is a full member of the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and
Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC), which includes several resolutions and recommendations for
bycatch mitigation and reporting.
Costa Rica is now in an optimal moment to develop training programs in the best handling
techniques of sea turtles on board longline vessels. In order to cater for this compromise and
momentum, the organization of several technical workshops was proposed and carried out in this
project. These workshops were considered a further step of the Government Fishery Agency (the
Costa Rican Institute of Fishing and Aquaculture - INCOPESCA) and the Environmental Ministry
(MINAE) to engage fishermen, industry, national NGOs and the government inspectors in the
protection of marine turtles, trying to find solutions together to improve fishermen’s work while
minimizing threats to sea turtle conservation.
These training sessions were funded by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).
De-hooking equipment was provided by IAC as matching contribution.