Dialogue on the Ethics and Conservation of Fisheries with Local Communities on the Costa Rican Pacific Coast

This project used printed materials and interpersonal communication - training and discussions - about social and environmental responsibility to foster local activism for the medium- and long-term.

In order to share documents that are relevant to the artisanal fishing sector in an accessible format, organisers printed and distributed a number of materials, intended to be used as information and communication tools. For instance, they printed 1,000 pamphlets on water-resistant paper that listed the the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries on one side and the perceptions of fishers from CoopeTárcoles R.L. on the other. Again to highlight those FAO principles, they printed and distributed 300 posters and created 3 banners to be used in exhibitions. In addition, organisers published and distributed CoopeTárcoles R.L.'s responsible fishing code as an example of how social and environmental responsibility can be applied to artisanal fishing and prepared a basic text on the then-recently-approved Fisheries and Aquaculture Law.

The text of that law - mainly Chapter 8 regarding Sanctions - was discussed in a training session. Other face-to-face interactions carried out as part of this project included efforts to promote experience exchanges among different projects that are being developed in the Costa Rican Pacific. Specifically, organisers conducted a 2-day tour in September 2004 of previously identified priority sites: Costa de Pájaros, Punta Morales, Isla Chira, Puerto Jesús, Paquera, and Tárcoles. Organisers then prepared a report that describes how to develop an information exchange and identified what should be done to follow up with and strengthen relations with the groups. Examples of the actions that ensued follow. In short, organisers:

• identified the support that Isla Chira fishers need from the government in order to continue their coral reef conservation work. They wrote letters to the appropriate authorities; as a result, an official from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy made a visit. During the first week of November 2004, the Chira Fishers Association also participated in a workshop about preparing a decree for coral reef conservation. Coope SoliDar R.L. coordinated with the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología of the University of Costa Rica in writing the decree and met with personnel from the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura and the Coast Guard.
• held meetings with the directors of the Punta Morales Station (the National University Faculty of Exact and Natural Science's development programme for the rural zone of the Gulf of Nicoya) and the Chamber of Artisanal Fishers to strengthen strategic alliances and publicise their activities.
• hosted a 2-day itinerant exchange in April 2005 on Costa Rica's artisanal fishing. The goal was to establish alliances among the fishers, participants, and speakers, and provided training on environmental issues such as shark conservation and development (e.g., privately owned docks).

Environment.