Increased marine protection for Cocos Island will reduce foreign tuna fleet's impact
 

Yesterday in the Presidential House, President Laura Chinchilla signed a resolution creating the Seamount Management Marine Area that will extend the Cocos Island protected area to 9640 Km2.

The president, vice president, and environmental minister all recognized the lack of protection for Cocos Island.  This fact justified the resolution, one that will provide a concrete framework for more efficient preservation, management, and conservation of Cocos Island's marine environment.

Pretoma has participated in this effort since 2005 through its active research programs that have satellite and acoustic tagged sharks and sea turtles.  In addition, Pretoma is a member of the Cocos Island Marine Conservation Regional Advisory Council's (Coracmic) board of directors.

"This is an opportunity to consolidate Cocos Island's integral protection and defend it against over fishing, illegal fishing, shark finning, and the killing of sea turtles by the foreign tuna fleet", commented Jorge Ballestero, Pretoma's vice president and Coracmic spokesperson.

"This is part of a process to promote true sustainable fishing", said Randall Arauz of Pretoma.  "Under this model, not only are endangered/threatened marine species like the leatherback sea turtle, the hammerhead shark, and the yellow fin tuna protected, but the newly established area supports the national fishing industry and its attempts to fish sustainably", added Arauz.
 

For more information
Tel (506) 2241 5227
Fax (506) 2236 6017
email: info@pretoma.org
website: www.pretoma.org
 

Pretoma is a Costa Rican Civil Association of Public Interest and is an active member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN and the World Society for the Protection of Animals WSPA.