Latest Entries

Volunteers race to extract water from their well before it's filled in

On August 30 Sylvester Feichtinger, owner of Agropecuaria Caletas S.A., the farming company that is demolishing the wetland beside the Caletas-Arío National Wildlife Refuge, had his employees destroy the well that Pretoma sea turtle volunteers dug in 2002 to supply fresh water to the project’s beachside camp.  According to Agropecuaria Caletas S.A. the well was destroyed because it was located on the company’s property.  Moments before the well was filled with sand, volunteers were able to extract a small quantity of water to be used in the camp’s day to day operations.

“This latest agressive action is another example of how Sylvester Feichtinger is bent on impeding Pretoma’s volunteers from protecting the area’s nesting sea turtle population and from monitoring the damage his company is causing to the wetland”, said Pretoma’s Miguel Gomez, ”but this shameful impediment to the volunteer’s basic right to fresh water will not stop Pretoma from pursuing its mission of protecting Playa Caletas.”  At this moment the project’s volunteers are already looking for a suitable area to dig a replacement well and continue with their work to protect the wetland and sea turtles.

Farming company workers fill in the well

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to send the petition to the Environmental Ministry and to Sylvester’s Hotel Casa Caletas calling for the immediate stoppage of the wetland’s destruction.  Invite your friends to join the Facebook group dedicated to this campaign.

Watch the video.

Monday, 16 of August, 2010

QUITO, AFP

Accoring to the Ecuadorian press, the captain and crew of the Costa Rican fishing boat Rosa 1 were arrested last week for illegal fishing activities in the Galapagos Island Marine Reserve, Ecuador.  Ecuadorian officials announced that the boat was carrying no less than 75 “finned” sharks.  Costa Rican fishing law states that all sharks must be landed with their fins naturally attached to their bodies.  Since the boat is Costa Rican, it’s logical to assume that it will eventually land its cargo in Puntarenas.  Costa Rica’s Fisheries Institute, Incopesca, asures that it inspects 100% of fisheries landings as a way to prevent shark finning from happening in this country.  But how effective is Incopesca’s system of inspection?

Other related cases:
In 2008, sacks of shark fins were found aboard the Kendy and the Franju III after they were spoted illegally fishing in the Cocos Island National Park’s Marine Protected Area.  When the two boats arrived in Puntarenas the fins were no longer onboard.  As the law only stipulates that fins be attached to the shark’s body when they are landed, and it does not prohibit the transportation of fins separated from bodies, no legal action was taken.
Indonesian/Costa Rican citizens Dian (23) and Fajar (36), international fishing vessel slaves that were freed by Costa Rican authorities at the Imperio Pesquero del Pacífico dock, explained to the Tico Times newspaper on June 4, 2010 that fishing crews rutinly fin sharks as the product represents and pay bonus for the crew.  The fishermen even showed a personal video to the press of crewmembers finning the animals.

  
Shark finning happens day in and day out in Costa Rica.  Quite simply, Incopesca lacks the initiative to enforce the law.  In fact, fisheries inspectors do not even have the authority to implement fishing regulations as they must first ask permission from the private dock owners before performing their inspections.

(San José, Costa Rica-August 5, 2010).  Aerial applications of a powerful poison inside the Caletas-Arío National Wildlife Refuge, Guanacaste on July 20th and 31st by the farming company Agropecuario Caletas S.A. have lead to widespread fish kills.  The chemical applications also threaten one of Costa Rica’s most productive turtle nesting beaches where 4 species, including the critically endangered leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), lay their eggs and pose serious health risks to sea turtle volunteers living in the refuge. 

Ana's video of the poison application and fish kills

The poison application on July 20 began at around 7:00 am, and lasted for about an hour and a half.  During this time a small airplane, or “crop duster”, made repeated trips above the refuge’s wetland and adjacent agricultural fields, releasing a white cloud of chemicals. 

The poison was then picked up by the morning offshore breeze and blown into Pretoma’s volunteer camp and onto the beach.  “There was a strong poison smell and most of the volunteers ran to get t-shirts to cover their noses and mouths” said Costa Rican Ana Ventura Pozuelo, the project’s coordinator.  The next morning the camp’s volunteers awoke to find the beach at the mouth of the Rio Bongo littered with dying fish (some up to a meter long), crabs, and shrimp.  Ana and the rest of the volunteers, the majority of whom are biologists, immediately took pictures and water and tissue samples of the animals.  They also noted how vultures and crocodiles were feasting on the carrion, thus ingesting the poison themselves.

Ana and her team then called the Costa Rican Environmental Ministry (MINAET) and told officials about the poisoning.  MINAET employees arrived a few days later to investigate but promptly told the volunteers that turtle volunteers were not accredited in Costa Rica to take biological samples.  Officials also warned the team of sea turtle biologists that another spraying was scheduled and that the volunteers would be notified of the exact date and time. 

Concerned about the health risks of another poison application, volunteers continually called Minaet but received no more information before the second application on the morning of the 31st.  “We were worried about the chemicals because we didn’t know what it was, only that it was probably harmful to humans because of the way it killed other animals in only a day,” said a concerned and disappointed Ana.  “We called MINAET many times to obtain information on the next spraying, but never got an answer.” 
 
Ana was able to take some video of the second spraying and in her shots one can see the poison application and the lingering white cloud.  Agropecuario Caletas’ systematic destruction of the Caletas-Arío Refuge has been happening for 4 years.  The company’s first strides we to construct barbwire fences inside the refuge to block public access.  The company then brought in backhoes and tractors and began plowing, draining, and burning the wetland and surrounding brush to make way for planting fields.  To date, its efforts have successfully damaged the wetland to a point where very little water is left to support migrating populations of birds and other animals.  Pictures from August 2008 show tractors driving through the water and sucking the life out of the habitat.  Ana’s pictures and video from last month reveal no water.

The refuge and wetland in August, 2008 (picture: Ingrid Rojas)

In response to the environmental atrocities, Pretoma filed sute against Agropecuaria Caletas S.A at the Environmental Tribune of the MINAET.  In 2009 the Tribune not only ordered the company to pay US$24,000 in environmental damages, but also ordered the damages to be repaired.  But Agropecuario Caletas scoffed at this slap-on-the-wrist, never paid the fine, and has since gone about with its plan to destroy the refuge and harass Pretoma volunteers, spraying them with poison if necessary.

Pretoma sea turtle conservation volunteers are a mix of Costa Ricans and international travelers who support the economy of small coastal towns and villages by paying money to protect the region’s beaches.  Now, they are being sprayed by poisons by a company that turns up its nose to court rulings and environmental laws.  Some of these volunteers have left the project because of the health risks and will take home the message that sea turtle volunteering poses serious health risks in Costa Rica.  As for Ana, she was asked by her family to return early to San José.

“This is the message that Costa Rican’s want to send potential tourists and biologists who are thinking about visiting this country,” asked a disappointed Randall Arauz, President of Pretoma.  “There are laws that protect wetlands and public health in Costa Rica, but Agropecuaria Caletas S.A. disregards them all, and no official entity seems to be able to stop them”.
 
Curious Note:  Agropecuaria Caletas S.A. is owned by Sylvestre Feichtinger, a US-Austrian Citizen, who also happens to own and operate the “eco lodge” Casa Caletas located nearby the wetlands of the Caletas-Arío Wildlife Refuge.  Ironically, he sells the natural surroundings as the main attraction.

For more information:

Pretoma
Tel (506) 2241 5227
Fax (506) 2236 6017
email: andy@pretoma.org

Click here to real article

According to freed slaves from a Taiwanese Shark finning Vessel

Pretoma invites you to read the press article published in this week edition of The Tico Times, Freed Asian Sailors Talk

Environment Commission DOES NOT vote on bill 17.383 to demote Las Baulas National Park.  Now, the decision lies with our new President, Laura Chinchilla.  Read more in the Leatherback Newsletter.

RANDALL ARAUZ
Goldman Environmental Prize, 2010
Recipient.  Central And South America

Speech pronounced during the Award Ceremony, at the San Francisco Opera House, April 19, 2010.

Randall Arauz receiving his award at the 2010 Goldman Prize ceremony / Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize

“When I started Pretoma over 14 years ago, I had no idea WE were going to go so far!  And I say “we”, because over the years a team of dedicated conservationists has performed the most diverse of tasks to fulfill our mission, which is to protect, and restore, endangered marine wildlife.

Sadly, shark finning is far from over.  Global shark population declines are estimated at 90%, mostly due to shark finning.  Governments are drafting “Shark Action Plans” in an effort to reverse the negative trend on shark populations.  But NOTHING has been done YET, to actually curtail shark mortality.

More than 100 foreign longline shark finning vessels still operate illegally in private docks of Costa Rica.  Recently, investigative journalists have exposed drug trafficking and indentured servitude alongside shark finning at these private docks, whose operators take advantage of lax customs enforcement.

So what’s next?

As with many pressing environmental problems, we have the scientific knowledge to solve them.  We must act now!

To restore shark populations, it’s going to take the protection of critical shark habitats through the creation of Marine Protected Areas, and it’s going to take strong fisheries regulations.

At PRETOMA we support small scale sustainable fishermen.  We won’t stand for huge industrial foreign fleets wiping out the world’s shark populations!

This is where everyone can help us make a difference.  I urge you to call on your representatives to make educated decisions, and support all measures possible to protect sharks.  Tell your friends about the problem, especially if you know politically influential people.  Sharks need all the help they can get, from all sectors of society.

I would like to thank the Goldman Foundation for this award.  It is the fruit of many years of hard work by many people.  I hope this award serves as an inspiration to other small NGOs working with few resources.  It is sometimes overwhelming to battle major economic interests on shoestring budgets, and disappointment may come easily, but we must hang in there!

I would like to thank my parents and siblings, my lovely wife Isabel and two kids, Daniel and Grisel, as well as Pretoma’s supporters and partners – Todd Steiner, Ricardo Soto, Georgina Domberger, Mario Boza, and 1999 Goldman Prize winner Jorge Varela.

Muchas gracias a todos.  Now, its time to get back to saving sharks!  I hope you decide to join us!”

—-Watch the Goldman Foundation’s Video detailing Randall Arauz and Pretoma’s work

Randall Arauz, President and founder of Pretoma (Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas) was announced as a 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize winner today in San Francisco, California.  The award recognizes his tireless work to draw international attention to the inhumane and environmentally catastrophic shark finning industry, and his unrelenting campaign to halt the practice in Costa Rica.

“Shark finning is not only cruel; it is irresponsible and unsustainable fishing at its highest degree” said Arauz during the filming of the award video detailing his work. “In spite of this, it has been close to impossible to attain any international binding management and conservation measures to curtail this practice.”

Announced every April to coincide with Earth Day, the Goldman Environmental Prize honors grassroots environmental heroes from the six inhabited continental regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The Prize recognizes individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk.

Watch Randall Arauz’s Goldman Award video detailing his work in Costa Rica.

Article only available in Spanish

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News
 
Millions of marine turtles have been killed over the past two decades through entrapment in fishing gear, according to a global survey (click here to read full study).
 
Described as the first global synthesis of existing data, the study found especially high rates of “bycatch” in the Mediterranean and eastern Pacific. Six of the seven sea turtle types are on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Writing in the journal Conservation Letters, researchers advocate much greater use of gear safe for turtles. These include circular hooks rather than the conventional J-shaped hooks on long fishing lines, and hatches that allow the reptiles to escape from trawls.

“We conservatively estimate that the true total is probably... in the millions of turtles taken as bycatch in the past two decades” Dr Bryan Wallace

Turtles must come to the surface to breathe. When they are caught in a net or on a fishing hook, they cannot surface, and drown. Lead researcher Bryan Wallace said the state of the world’s turtles was an indicator of the wider health of the oceans. “Sea turtles are sentinel species of how oceans are functioning,” he said. “The impacts that human activities have on them give us an idea as to how those same activities are affecting the oceans on which billions of people around the world depend for their own well-being.”

Dr Wallace works in the global marine division of Conservation International and at Duke University in the US.

The raw material from the study came from records of bycatch – incidental catches in fishing gear – from different regions of the world. Over the period 1990-2008, records showed that more than 85,000 turtles were snared. However, those records covered a tiny proportion of the world’s total fishing fleets. “Because the reports we reviewed typically covered less than 1% of all fleets, with little or no information from small-scale fisheries around the world, we conservatively estimate that the true total is probably not in tens of thousands, but in the millions of turtles taken as bycatch in the past two decades,” said Dr Wallace.

Three types of fishing gear are identified in the survey – long-lines, gillnets and trawls.

Modern long-line boats trail strings of hooks that can be 40km long, usually in search of high-value species such as tuna and marlin. Gillnets are usually stationary, and use mesh of a set size in an attempt to target certain species of fish.

The researchers suggest that several areas of the world account for particularly high levels of bycatch – the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean for all types of gear, together with trawling operations off the west coast of Africa.

Modifying fishing gear can have a dramatic impact on the size of bycatch. Shrimp trawls fitted with turtle excluder devices (TEDs) catch markedly fewer of the reptiles. A grid prevents anything large from entering the back portion of the net, and a hole above the grid allows accidentally snared animals such as turtles to escape. A number of countries now require that shrimp boats must use nets fitted with TEDs.

The circular long-line hooks also reduce bycatch of birds such as albatrosses. However, some fleets have resisted adopting selective gear because fishermen believe it will reduce their catch. In many parts of the developing world, the gear is not available.
 
Marine turtles face other significant threats. Debris in the oceans, such as plastic bags, can also cause drowning, while development in coastal regions can affect nesting and reproduction. Some turtles are still targeted for meat, and their shells used for tourist souvenirs.

Numbers of adult leatherbacks – the largest species, growing to more than 2m long and capable of journeys that span entire oceans – are thought to have declined by more than 75% between 1982 and 1996.

Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk