sportfishing vessel attacked off Costa Rica

[SportFishStaff]

For Immediate Release (with photos upon request)

Another sportfishing vessel attacked off Costa Rica
Helicopter drops explosive devices as Venezuela tuna seiner threatens tourists; tenth attack in past two years

GARZA, Costa Rica and FT. LAUDERDALE, Florida, USA --- A U.S. based world fisheries conservation association is demanding disciplinary action after the attack by a commercial Venezuelan tuna purse seining vessel and its helicopter on a sportfishing boat off the coast of Costa Rica.
The incident has been reported and posted with photos on The Billfish Foundation’s website billfish.org.
On Sunday August 1, at approximately 3 p.m. the Silver-Rod-O, a U.S. sportfishing vessel owned by TBF member Gary Carter, of Duluth, Ga., was assaulted by the Venezuelan flagged tuna purse seiner La Rosa Mistica while fishing approximately 15 miles off the coast of Garza, Costa Rica.
According to Carter the Silver-Rod-O was fishing around a school of spinner dolphin for yellowfin tuna and billfish, when the helicopter from La Rosa Mistica began circling the area. “We were celebrating one of our guest's first-ever sailfish release, when the seiner veered from its course and headed directly toward our boat. The helicopter then began making passes over the anglers and as the seiner came closer and began setting its net, the helicopter started dropping incendiary devises around the Silver-Rod-O and the school of spinners. “Several explosives landed within 50 meters of the boat. The purse seiner continued to power straight toward our boat,” Carter said, “It was threatening to either encircle us in their net or to plow us into the sea unless we abandoned the school of dolphin. Rather than endanger our guests, we retreated and watched and listened as the La Rosa Mistica closed the net and its crew obnoxiously celebrated its victory.”
TBF President Ellen Peel said, “This is the tenth vessel attacked off Costa Rica in the past two years. In June of 2008 nine vessels were similarly attacked in two incidents off of Quepos and Los Suenos.TBF has previously appealed to the Costa Rican Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute INCOPESCA (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura) to take punitive action against these purse seine vessels, fishing in Costa Rican waters under Costa Rican licenses to no avail.
“I have sent a letter to the new Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla with copies to Second Vice President Luis Liberman, the Minister of Agriculture Gloria Abraham, Vice Minister of Agriculture Xinia Chaves, Minister of Tourism Carlos Ricardo Benavides and Luis Dobles President of INCOPESCA, demanding that an investigation into this incident and appropriate action against the captain and owners of La Rosa Mistica be launched immediately.
“We are also notifying U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Anne Slaughter Andrew of this attack,” said Peel.
The purse seiner is owned by Ingopesca, S.A. and registered out of the port of Callao in Venezuela. It is not known if this is one of the 30 trawling vessels expropriated from private owners by Venezuela President Hugo Chavez’s government in the spring of 2009 for use with setting up fish processing plants there.
Joan Vernon, TBF Board member and like Carter is a part-time resident of Costa Rica was outraged by the attack.
“The Costa Rican government has to do something to show these foreign seiners that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated before someone gets injured or killed out there,” she said. “Already we are hearing reports of local captains arming themselves in case of more such incidents.”
Costa Rica licenses many foreign purse seine vessels to fish in their national waters and land tuna to be processed in Costs Rica.
“It is ironic that another such assault has occurred just a few weeks before TBF formally presents the results of its study on the relative economic contribution of sports and commercial fishing in Costa Rica to government officials in San Jose,” noted TBF scientist Dr. Russell Nelson, adding “We have documented that sports fishing tourism contributes more to the Costa Rican gross national economy than commercial fishing, adding over $599 million annually, and $138 million of that comes directly from folks like Gary Carter who maintain a vessel and crew in that nation.”
Peel concluded, “If Costa Rica won’t address this sort of outrage and also take better care of the marine resources like sailfish and marlin that drive this economic engine, they will find people moving elsewhere and taking their money with them.”
She also noted within the past month another Central American nation issued a decree banning purse seining in its waters.
“In July, Panama’s President Ricardo Martinelli issued an executive order prohibiting purse seine vessels from fishing within the nation’s waters – a much wiser stance, one that allows commercial fishing beyond 200 miles and recreational fishing within the 200 mile zone.”
TBF has been working with the numerous governments worldwide – some for over a decade – for the expansion of conservation measures and laws to protect billfish, mainly from overfishing coastal fisheries by commercial interests, while implementing tag and release programs for sportsmen.
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About The Billfish Foundation
The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to conserving and enhancing billfish populations around the world. TBF's comprehensive network of members and supporters includes anglers, captains, mates, tournament directors, clubs and sportfishing businesses. By coordinating efforts and speaking with one voice, TBF is able to work for solutions that are good for billfish and not punitive to recreational anglers. For more information, visit www.billfish.org. TBF’s phone number is 800-438-8247.

8/6/2010
TBF PR Counsel: Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications, Inc.
Scottsdale, Ariz., USA
480-951-3654 (ph) 480-951-0040 (fax)
JohnsonCom@aol.com (e-mail)

[hubris 1]

Wants the same fish........so they can sell it. One way or the other. Fishing is a rape and pillage business.

[bigoc]

If lawyers did not rule the world this situation might have a different solution. On that note I wonder if this was a visibly USA flagged vessel? So many large sportfishing vessels I see lack this simple effort for a variety of reason. I would also recommend everyone traveling out of us waters review the recently(November of 2009) changed US coast guard policy of US vessels and arms in international waters. It surprisingly allows for the carrying of arms in defense of the vessel.


On to my defensive mode. That helicopter appears to be a OH-6. It is extremely agile with a turbine engine and would not allow that thing to get get near my vessel if it is dropping explosives of any kind. A flare gun(25 mm) should be a proper and appropriate starting use of force given the seriousness of the situation. Not telling you to hit it just make sure that the aircraft knows you are not willing to absorb their aggression.


US Coast Guard should be notified of any attack like this immediately regardless of location. Even thought you might be calling a Station in southern Florida by way of satellite phone, they may have a joint force of Navy and Coast Guard operation in your region. There are quite a few US Military assets in the region that could offer assistance to a US flagged vessel in distress if the proper notifications are made. Do your homework ahead of time if you are going to be playing in the area.

[hubris 1]

The idea off costa rica is they dont want any commercial fishing. Their entire country runs on recreational fishing for charter. I do believe they are one country that tries to impose a 200 mile limit. This boat is out of panama, nicaragua, or some other wonderful country that longfisher would like to join. American,....... I would be more than a little surprised.

[Hatterized]

Alex...did you get a new trawler with a helicopter....??..

on a serious note....imagine if a US warship came over the horizon...i think both the trawler Capt and helo pilot would shit themselves....

[mad dog bite]

I really doubt those panamanian fisherman and pilot would be too worried about a U.S. ship doing much to them.What would they do arrest the crew and bring them to the U.S...

[WAHOONBOX]

JUST ONE MORE GOOD REASON TO KEEP YOUR AMERICAN ASS IN AMERICA ....I BET THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY THAN BEING TOLD.


STILL BOOKING CHARTERS WHERE IT IS SAFE ...MHC...NC

RUN-OFF SPORTFISHING NOW BOOKING OCTOBER WAHOO WITH ZERO ATTACKS FROM FOREIGN VESSELS

[mad dog bite]

I'm with you on that one box lets keep our money at home keeping local crews fed and earning an honest living!!!!

[tunabite]

we had the same thing happen and i never reported it. tryin to post the pics now. my camera is just mediocre so... they dropped the explosives off our bow and circled with the helicopter. basically pushed us out of the area i didnt care and didnt want a confrontation. they circled up the poipose school and did their thing but we watched em pull up the net and it was empty, for once the tuna escaped,. we had our tunas so we went away and i am sure they swiped up the whole school afterwards. caught a blue marlin and a few sails not very far from there goin away.... pretty sad how they rape the whole school!!

[dickiedoo]

That's just sickening. We keep weapons on board for such occasion when were offshore. Drop some damn explosives around the boat and I'll shoot at you. Period. I'm not trying to be a bamf, but protection is warranted.

It's a shame costa rica won't get it together. I'll wont be going back any time soon with them being so loose on the commercial fishermen.