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.
It is estimated that Costa Rican shrimpers kill around 15,000 sea turtles a year. A very depressing figure to say the lease, especially for a creature that brings in a lot of tourist bucks with their breeding grounds on both the Caribbean and Pacific coast. And very embarrassing for eco-organizations like Turtle Island Restoration Network and PRETOMA, who work to protect marine biodiversity and restore populations of sea turtles worldwide.
Turtle Island Restoration Network’s is the sister organization of Pretoma who documents sea turtle violations by shrimp fishers and the lack of penalties for offenders.
According to U.S State Department and Coast Guard, in the five years, 29 of Costa Rica’s shrimp trawls have been caught either fishing without TEDs or using tampered TEDs that compromise their effectiveness to free turtles, and no fines or penalizes were enforced.
Costa Rica’s shrimping industry exports more than $4 billion thus far in 2010.
According to Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer), Costa Rican shrimp exports are down $1 million, a 57 percent decrease from their earnings during the same period in 2009.
The drop in exports, Costa Rican shrimpers claim, is caused by the rising fuel costs and competition created by free-trade agreements.
Or is it?
The reason of the decline is a no-brainer, as more and more countries support TEDs, Costa Rica Shrimping Industry may be the one that gets put on the endangered list.
With the U.S. Shrimping fleet devastated by the recent oil spin in the Gulf, and one that provides about 70% of the shrimp in the U.S., Costa Rican shrimpers now have a golden opportunity; all they have to do is practice eco-fishing with TEDs.
The big question is, “Will they?”
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