Refusing to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), the next endangered species may be Costa Rican Shrimp Fishermen
If there was a golden opportunity for Costa Rica to capitalize on a need of Gringo’s taste buds, and to help stimulate their economy it is now. But unfortunately, for a country that has been one of the heavy weights of ecology, they, have turned their backs on a major eco problem that if not corrected, will have sever consequences.
Back in May, 2005 the U.S. had banned Costa Rica Shrimp Industry from exporting the tasty creatures because it has become a threat to the endangered Sea Turtles. Costa Rica wild-harvested shrimpers refused to employ Turtle-Excluder devices (TEDs) in their nets. They have had the opportunity three times in the last five years to have this ban lifted. And with that said, now have another threat, their species itself.
TED is a specialized device that allows a captured sea turtle to escape when caught in a fisherman’s net. Proper use of TEDs reduces the number of turtles caught in shrimp nets by as much as 95% and is required to be used by any shrimp fishery that sells to the U. S and to other countries that support the protection of sea turtles. Read more...(494 words, 2 images, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)
Expats will have a surprise when their names will be published in El Financiero, the weekly business newspaper for not paying sales tax
Sometime next week Expats that have not paid sales tax (or other taxes) may find themselves in an embarrassing situation; this is when their names will be published in El Financiero, the weekly business newspaper put out by Grupo Nación.
Currently there are 1000s of Expats who own small businesses that vary from B & Bs, eco-tourism, gift shops, online sales, travel agents, real estate etc. Costa Rica is a haven for expats and the government allows foreigners to own business and work in the country, so long as they follow regulations and conduct business ethically. Usually a business has to be register with Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS, Social Security Institution), with the National Insurance Institute (Instituto Nacional de Seguros) and record deeds of the incorporation charter (if your business is a SA, which is highly recommended) before the Mercantile Section of the Public Registry.
And of course pay sales tax, which many do or have not in this case. The current sales tax is around 13% the amount paid for goods and for some services. Professionals like lawyers, doctors, dentists and other independent professionals are exempt from sales tax. Read more...(551 words, 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)
Marlin fishing is considered by many game fishermen to be the pinnacle of big game fishing, due to the size and power, relative rareness and difficulty of capture. In Costa Rica, fishing for the striped, blue and black marlin fishing season is year round and why the country is becoming the hot place to fish for these big gamers.
Marlin has been billed as the battler of literature and legends. Author Ernest Hemingway, so loved the marlin that he wrote about it. The Old Man and the Sea, one of Hemingway’s most famous works, centers upon Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin.
In past years, it was a customary “trophy” carcass hung in offices and seen in fishing magazines and executive office-wall photographs. However, that has since change in Costa Rica. Costa Rica was the first country to practice the catch and release program, and other conservation programs, like the banning of billfish meat. And because of this, an angler’s bragging rights have been reduced to nothing but videos or photos. A Costa Rica marlin will rarely be hung on some wall or cut up into steaks. Only on rare occasions will the fish be brought in and that is usually when the fish is dying due to a tail hook up (causing drowning) or the hook has some how damage the fish. Read more...(814 words, 1 image, estimated 3:15 mins reading time)
President Chinchilla has another victory, the Appellate Court decision to keep the ban on the open pit gold mine in Cutris de San Carlos alive.
During Ms. Chinchilla presidential campaign, she had gone on record that she opposed any new open pit mines. This week it appears that she kept her promise by influencing the judges when the appeals courts declined to lift a ban on the open pit gold mine in Cutris de San Carlos.
The company, Industrias Infinito S.A., (Costa Rican subsidiary of a Canadian company), cannot keep developing the mine even though former president Óscar Arias Sánchez declared it to be in the national interest. Obviously, he was looking at the millions or billions of colones revenue ; a nice sum of money to be dumped into the government.
The main issue in this [day one] protest and controversial project focused on over 100 hectares of trees that would be cut to develop the mine. Costa Rican Supreme Court (Sala IV) ruled last April (see, Crucitis Mine Protest) Infinito can proceed with its open-pit gold mine, striking down complaints from environmental groups that the project was destroying virgin forest. But this week the Tribunal de Apelaciones Del Contencioso Administrativo del Segundo Circuito Judicial ruled in favor of nature, which got a standing ovation from environmentalists. Read more...(574 words, 1 image, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)
Actor Steven Seagal leaves Costa Rica not a happy camper
This week we pretty much express some disappointment at the way Costa Rica’s government was handle things like banning stem cell research and helping pave the way for ID thief. However, we have to give them the thumbs up in how they gave the cold shoulder to Hollywood martial-arts actor/producer, Steven Seagal.
About 2-three times a month we get tabloid junk. It has always been our policy to let celebrities do their thing, and keep their location quite, unless it is someone like Leonardo DiCaprio who was thinking about doing a gambling movie in Costa Rica that would help pump millions into the economy or something so bizarre like the Rod and Patti Blagojevich reality/circus show.
Now this is what bugs me, Mr. Seagul claims he is some law enforcement expert. Humm … he has a reality cop show where he is a reserve deputy chief of the Sheriff’s Office in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, so does that make him an expert? Read more...(645 words, 1 image, estimated 2:35 mins reading time)
