Granjas Atuneras Golfito's tuna farm project is awaiting final approval from Costa Rica's Environmental Ministry.
The project would offer little if any economic feedback for the rural communities that surround the Golfo Dulce. What's more, the project threatens to disrupt the gulf's delicate ecosystem, a natural resource that supports local fisheries and sustainable tourism opportunities.
Survey results of the local population show an overwhelming anti-tuna farm sentiment; however, with few expendable resources to allocate to derailing the project, more powerful political and economical intentions are driving the proposal closer to implementation.
What we need to do to stop this!
Raise public support against the tuna farm project by:
a) Placing several full page advertisements in La Nación, Costa Rica's largest and most prestigious newspaper, as well as in other influential newspapers (La Extra, Al Día), calling for the public to show their support by signing and faxing the advertisement to Costa Rica's president, Oscar Arias
b) Producing a 50 second TV Public Service Announcement to be broadcast on Costa Rica's main TV channels
c) Printing flyers, brochures and t-shirts
d) Updating a website for electronic "sign-ons"
e) Organizing a formal coalition against the tuna farms
Confront political interests:
a) Lobby the new government's political Ministers and Deputies
b) Hold events against the tuna farms (debates in colleges, schools, newspapers and other media)
c) Hold a referendum in August, 2010
How you can help.
Option 1-
Pretoma is accepting donations through it's online "click-and-pledge" secure donation software, accessable from the website's main page.
Option 2-
A bank account in dollars at Costa Rica's Banco Nacional has been opened solely for those wishing to donate to the tuna farm campaign: Account number 100-02-148-600286-2 under the name, Asoc. Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas
Pretoma is a Costa Rican NGO with tax exempt status for national corporations. We also have tax exempt status in the United States.
Please, contact us at inaranjo@pretoma.org or info@pretoma.org for information if you are interested in doing an international bank wire, or are planning on filing this as a tax exempt donation in the United States.
You can also write a check made out to "Pretoma", and mail it to:
Pretoma
1203-1100
Tibás, San José
Costa Rica
PS: Don't forget to include a note "earmarking" the donation for the Tuna Farm Campaign
Tuna farm case history:
Please click on the links below for access to various tuna farm legal case documents:
On May 9, 2007, Costa Rica's Constitutional Court "suspended the execution" of Granjas Atuneras de Golfito S. A's. tuna farm project
Setena's re-approves the tuna farm project November 6, 2008 (Resolution 3170-2008)
The University of Costa Rica's Center for Marine Research (Cimar) study on tuna farming
Setena's February 16, 2009 rejection of Pretoma's appeal and continued approval of the project (Resolution 377-2009)
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. For more information visit www.pretoma.org
SETENA Approves Project Without Complying with Constitutional Court’s Request to Clarify Environmental Impact Study
(March 2, 2009 San José, Costa Rica) – On February 16 the National Technical Environmental Secretary (SETENA) rejected an appeal for annulment presented by Pretoma on November 11, 2008, deciding instead to move forward in the approval process of the Tuna Farm Project in Golfito, according to resolution N° 3170-2008-SETENA, November 5, 2008. SETENA’s decision to approve the project comes without completing the Constitutional Court’s order to clear up inconsistencies found within the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) undertaken by the project’s Developer Granjas Atuneras Golfito S.A. and now places the decision to ratify the project with Mr. Roberto Dobles, the Environmental, Energy, and Telecomunications Minister (MINAET).
In July, 2006 Pretoma and the Punta Banco Association of Neighbors filed suit against the project, sighting the serious environmental impacts it might cause. What is still unknown is whether or not the large amounts of metabolic waste, produced by the tuna and dispersed by the currents, will be swept into the Golfo Dulce. These uncertainties, along with questions about the possible effects the project will have on sea turtles that nest along beaches close to the proposed project’s site, represent some of the study’s weaknesses of which the Constitutional Court has asked for clarification in the form of technical studies.
“It’s incoherent how SETENA chooses not to address the Constitutional Court’s doubts, while at the same time recognizing the project’s viability without even researching certain technical criteria that might show how the tuna cages will impact the Golfo Dulce”, mentioned Miguel Gómez, Pretoma’s political campaigns coordinator.
“We hope that the Minister is consistent with other court decisions in this case and asks SETENA to comply with the Constitutional Court’s mandate”, said Andy Bystrom, Pretoma’s communications coordinator.
The project proposes to install 10 tuna cages at the mouth of the Golfo Dulce. It was suspended by court order on May 9, 2007 due to a series of inconsistencies referring to contamination threats to the surrounding ecosystem and its impact on sea turtles.
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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).
Granjas Atuneras de Golfito S.A. presented their “Environmental Impact Study” at SETENA on October 31, 2004. SETENA approved the project on August 19, 2005 and the Department of Water Resources approved a water use concession on December 16, 2005. The first stage of the project would consist of installing 10 initial cylindrical net cages where tuna would be cultivated. The footprint of the installations would cover 12 square kilometers just one kilometer off shore from the town of Punta Banco at the mouth of the Golfo Dulce. However, the company wants to install net cages from Punta Banco all the way to Punta Burica. This would further the industrialization and destruction of the region which is currently famous for its pristine environment.
The groups opposing the project denounce the complete lack of transparency in the process of approving the project. Transparency and local involvement are required by the laws governing SETENA. The communities which would be most directly impacted by the tuna farm, such as Golfito, Pavones, Punta Banco and Cana Blanca, the latter being an indigenous reserve, were not consulted by SETENA. Local fishermen, sports fishing operators, as well as tourism and ecotourism groups were kept out of the process. Local NGOs working with community members for decades to promote conservation of the unique biodiversity of the region were also not consulted.
In addition to the lack of transparency, national law was violated when the project was approved because the Environmental Impact Study does not contain risk assessments.
There are multiple irreversbile risks that groups note were completely left out of the so called environmental impact study, such as red tides, death of sea turtles and dolphins, reduction of already diminished tuna stocks, parasites from imported tuna feed, and negative impacts on the two most important industries of the gulf, artisinal fishing and tourism/ecotourism. The project would also be an experiment; the cultivation of yellow fin tuna in net cages, has never been done anywhere in the world.
The executive decree 24282 MP MAG MIRENEM requires that a management plan be in place before marine projects are approved. Approving the proposed tuna project represents additional violation of national law because no management plan exists for the Golfo Dulce.
“The Golfo Dulce, with its delicate ecology and unique status as a tropical fjord, is the last place on earth where we should be developing an experiment such as this,” states Denise Echeverría of Foundation Vida Marina. “The proposed project represents a threat to the biodiversity of the entire Gulf and the livelihoods of communities which depend on it.”
“What we see here is most likely political dealing,” points out Randall Arauz. “The approval of the project by SETENA and the Department of Water Resources, the lack of transparency and zero risk analysis are indicative of orders from superiors of the Ministry of Environment in the previous administration, to approve the project, which is backed by foreign capital, probably as a political favor.”
Organizations opposed to proposed tuna farms:
INVERSIONES PLAYA ZANCUDO S.A.
ASOCIACIÓN DE PRODUCTORES INDUSTRIALES Y ARTESANALES DE GOLFITO
BAHÍA BANANO S.A.
MANGLARES DEL SUR S.A.
ASOCIACIÓN CAMARA ECOTURISTICA DE GOLFITO
TISKITA S.A.
ASOCIACIÓN CAMARA DE PESCADORES ARTESANALES DEL PACIFICO SUR
ASOCIACIÓN DE PESCADORES DE PLAYA ZANCUDO
ASOCIACIÓN DE PESCADORES DE BAHÍA PAVONES
ASOCIACIÓN DE VECINOS DE PUNTA BANCO DE PAVON DE GOLFITO S.A.
FUNDACIÓN TISKITA
PRETOMA
VIDA MARINA
