By the A.M. Costa Rica staff


Sea Shepherd Conservation Society announced on Wednesday it is launching Operation Treasured Islands late this fall.

The campaign focuses on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, a two million square kilometer area extending along the Pacific coast of the Americas from Mexico to Peru. At its heart is the Galapagos Islands – an archipelago so rich in life, it played a key role in Charles Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection.

Sea Shepherd will be patrolling these waters in cooperation with the governments of Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica, working to enforce existing treaties and laws.

The campaign also involves a partnership with Skytruth. The environmental watchdog monitors activities from space and from the surface. It will be highly instrumental in observing and catching IUU fishing activities.

As one of the richest areas of marine biodiversity, the Tropical Eastern Pacific is home to 88 species of shark, oceanic mantas, turtles, tuna, dolphins, and blue whales. It is, unfortunately, also an area presently under destructive assault by well-organized industrialized poachers.

"Sea Shepherd is preparing to sail into the midst of a huge fleet of factory vessels operating in the rich biodiversity of the waters of the Eastern Tropical Pacific," said Captain Paul Watson, Founder and Executive Director of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "Our mission is to search out and investigate high seas crimes ranging from illegal fishing, shark finning and human trafficking."

"Sea Shepherd's  M/V BRIGITTE BARDOT will carry out on-going high-seas patrols covering 2,500 nautical miles from Baja California to the coast of Peru, patrolling a nutrient laden migration corridor, so rich in marine life, it contains one fifth of the world's fish catch," said Captain Locky MacLean, Director of Campaigns at Sea Shepherd. "Sea Shepherd's permanent presence in the region, will act as a sentinel beyond national boundaries, protecting pelagic species from massive fishing fleets hailing as far away as the Asian continent."

More information on the Conservation Society can be reached at the Sea Shepherd site here.*

On Sep 6, as A.M. Costa Rica previously reported, the organization headquarter in Costa Rica, announced developing a campaign to provide aid to artisanal fishers who cannot work due to the ban imposed by the Fishing Institute.


According to Sea Shepherd Costa Rica, "artisanal fishermen at this time are even more vulnerable since they do not have fish to take to their homes to eat. We want to bring aid to Costa de Pájaros this weekend, but we have not yet gathered the ton of food that we have set as our goal."

According to the organization, there are more than 100 families that do not have food due to the three-month ban on fishing.

If you want to help those families, donations are being received at the offices of the Sea Shepard organization that are located in Sabana Sur*, in San Jose, on 40th Street. More information on this campaign can be found by calling 506-2291-4091.

According to the Fishing Institute, 1,192 fishermen are banned from fishing during August, September, and October.

Due to this prohibition, the government has given them a subsidy of approximately $250 per month, so they can cover the expenses of their homes.

However, the Institute confirmed that there are still approximately 188 fishermen that did not meet all the requirements to receive the subsidy.

The other fishermen who have been able to receive economic support must fulfill 30 hours of communal work as a requirement to earn money.

Related to Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd, the Criminal Appeals Court of the Second Judicial Circuit of San José,  ruled in favor of Captain Watson, dropping all charges against him and giving closure to a 17-year legal dispute and 13-year-old international arrest warrant.

The legal dispute began on April 20, 2002, when the vessel Ocean Warrior, under the command of Captain Watson, was heading to Costa Rica at the invitation of the government. Sea Shepherd had been invited to sign a collaboration agreement for the protection of the world-renowned marine sanctuary, Cocos Island.

The year prior, Sea Shepherd provided the Cocos Island National Park Rangers with equipment and a ship to arrest and confiscate an Ecuadorian-flagged vessel, the San José, for illegally fishing in the protected area of the island.

In 2002, the Ocean Warrior ran into the Costa Rican vessel Varadero-1, whose crew, they discovered, were illegally fining sharks in Guatemalan territorial waters.

According to the Sea Shepherd organization “After the Varadero-1 ignored several requests to cease the continuation of this practice, Captain Watson received authorization from the Guatemalan naval authorities to escort the vessel to the nearest port for arrest. Following this incident, the crew of the Varadero-1 filed several baseless accusations against Captain Watson.”

This situation created a battle in Costa Rica for the legal action taken against the environmental activists.

The entire incident was filmed and featured in the film Sharkwater by late Canadian director Rob Stewart. Movie official trailer may be reached at United Conservationist YouTube channel here.*



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Do you know environmental activists that also work to control illegal fishing? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com

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