The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) held a 19 December workshop in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, co-hosted by the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA) and FEDENAP, a Costa Rican longliners’ federation, to lay the groundwork for an effective electronic monitoring (EM) program in the region.
The event marked the first time that a Central American government and fishing industry representatives have come together to discuss the issue.
“It is of utmost importance that the longline sector implements EM on a larger scale to achieve the benefits of this technology," FEDENAP Executive Director Mauricio González said. "[The workshop] helped us understand the challenges of implementing EM and how this technology can help benefit Costa Rica and the fishing sector.”
In Costa Rican fisheries, longline fishers target yellowfin tuna, mahi, and swordfish. The workshop aimed to determine how EM can improve data collection on the bycatch of protected species and give valuable insights into social conditions for fishing crews. Next steps include a TNC-led pilot project on traceability and meeting regional fishery management organization standards; additional workshops next year will expand the EM program throughout Costa Rica and Panama.
“SFP has identified that EM program design needs to be improved globally," SFP Global Policy Director Braddoc Spear said. "Building solid EM programs is not quick or easy. But, if done correctly from the beginning, the results can be powerful. The great work achieved in Costa Rica through industry-led EM trials and the recent adoption of EM standards by the IATTC [Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission] is setting the stage for positive momentum.”
TNC Senior Fisheries Advisor Alvaro Teran added that this work has the potential to extend beyond its target geography in the future.
"By streamlining EM design processes and sharing learnings about how actors throughout the supply chain can deliver durable EM programs at scale, we can collectively improve transparency at sea and guarantee a long-term and sustainable seafood supply," Teran said.
