Fishermen of Puntarenas plan to protest this Monday, March 19 against the resolution of the Constitutional Chamber which annulled the trawling permits that had been issued by Costa Rican Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (Incopesca).

The group has stated their protests will be pacific, they will gather outside the Legislative Assembly in San Jose and also in the streets of Caldera in Puntarenas starting at 8 a.m.

Last week the Constitutional Chamber declared the agreement of Incopesca in which they extended new trawling permits, null.

Back in 2013 the Constitutional Chamber had made clear its position by forbidding the renovation or emission of new trawling permits due to the environmental damages this practice causes, and they stated “the only way they could reconsider allowing this practice would be if enough changes were met to make it a sustainable practice”, which “would need to be demonstrated through technical studies supported by the scientific community”.
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Incopesca claims they implemented controls to ensure those getting permits where guaranteeing conditions for the protection of marine resources; however, there are no technical studies and the proper procedure was not followed by Incopesca.

Fishermen state they understand the need to have responsible trawling procedures, however, they consider that banning this practice all together hurts employment in the area.

“We have worked hard and peacefully, and sticking to what has been requested from us, all necessary regulations for sustainable shrimp trawling have been implemented. But even still we are not allowed to work”, stated the release offered by representatives of the fishermen.

According to a study done by the University of Costa Rica, the country already produces 4 times more shrimp through shrimp farming techniques than the amount extracted through trawling.