Overfishing and Destructive Fishing Practices are contributing to the destruction of our world oceans and to those in Costa Rica.  

 On Aug 8th, 2013 Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court made a landmark decision and declared the practice of bottom trawling unconstitutional. Among all fishing methods bottom trawling is the most destructive.   In fact the United Nations and Greenpeace compare it the clear-cutting of our world’s forests. 

Bottom trawling is a method whereby massive nets are dragged across the ocean floor destroying all the coral and scooping up all animal life, the shrimp and a few other species are sold off, and the vast majority of species are killed then just dumped back into the ocean.

There are only a handful of countries in the world who have banned bottom trawling, and this decision helps maintain Costa Rica’s leadership role in the area of environmental conservation.  The ruling states that no new permits or licenses will be permitted, and existing authorization for this destructive practice will not be renewed.

Also: Watch this great video on the destructive practices of bottom trawling; narrated by Sigourney Weaver