February 1, 2010 - Cabuya, Costa Rica
Illegal gillnetters, shrimp boats, nest robbers, and vehicles threaten
endangered sea turtles on Playa Manzanillo,
Nicoya Peninsula
Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary’s sea turtle protection project at Playa
Manzanillo de Cobano on the Nicoya Peninsula has revealed the
operation of up to 100 boats using illegal gillnets in the waters near
Manzanillo. Most of these boats are gillnetting inside the 12 kilometers
of strictly protected ocean that is part of the Caletas/Ario Wildlife
Refuge.
The gillnets entangle sea turtles attempting to reach the beach to lay
their eggs, causing their death by drowning. Eye witnesses report that
gillnetters dismember the turtles for their flesh and shells, dump the remains overboard, and sell the meat and
shells in Puntarenas.
Hawksbill, leatherback, olive ridley, black, and green turtles nest on Playa Manzanillo. All except the ridley are
critically endangered globally. The hawksbill is the most endangered sea turtle on the planet.
All species of sea turtles are protected by international and national laws. In Costa Rica the penalty for nest
robbing or killing a sea turtle is three years in prison. These protective, but poorly enforced, laws reflect the
tremendous obstacles to sea turtle survival: only one
hatchling in one thousand that actually reach the sea
survive their first year.
The tragic situation at Playa Manzanillo prompted
Rainsong to request immediate action from pertinent
Costa Rican authorities on December 20, 2009.
On Friday, January 8, 2010, three officials from
the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and
Telecommunications (MINAET) and five public police
officials accompanied Mary Lynn Perry, President of
Rainsong, and Walter Cuendis Lopez, Rainsong’s Sea
Turtle Patrol Captain, to inspect and photograph the
boats using the illegal nets in order for Rainsong to file a
Denuncia.


CONTACT:
Mary Lynn Perry
Telephone: (011 506) 2642 1265
(011 506) 8387 3607
(011 506) 8336 7905
PRESS RELEASE Or email: rainsongwildlifesanctuary@gmail.com




Sea turtles are drowning in illegal gillnets used in
the protected waters of Caletas/Ario Refuge.
Authorities investigate, but no action has been
taken to date against illegal gillnetters.
After much insistence, PRETOMA’s Erick Lopez Aguero convinced the Costa Rican Coast Guard to make a
sweep at sea to confiscate illegal nets and document gillnetters’ boats for legal prosecutions. This operation began
on Monday, January 18. The Coast Guard never reached the rocky reef of the Caletas/Ario refuge, however,
because the patrol boat had filled the vessel with confiscated gillnets before even reaching Playa Coyote, north
of Manzanillo. Rainsong is still waiting for the promised return of the Costa Rican Coast Guard to remove the
gilllnets inside the national wildlife refuge.
On January 25, PRETOMA officers and Rainsong’s Walter and ‘Pipo’ (Edier Rodriguez) inspected refuge waters
in PRETOMA’s two launches. Many signs of gillnetting paraphernalia were found, but the group was unable to
pull the devices because police officers requested did not show up to provide authorization for their removal.
Where is MINAET?
MINAET, which has legal jurisdiction for wildlife in the protected area, has been asked repeatedly by Rainsong
to bring its authority to the situation. MINAET’s Area de Conservacion Tempisque (ACT) offices in Nicoya and
Hojanche have not responded with any action to date. According to Nathaniel Grew Jr., Refuge Representative,
MINAET abandoned this site more than three years ago, breaking a contract with the Refuge to provide presence
of authority and patrols.
Threats from all sides: Illegal shrimpboats inside the
refuge; cars, nest robbers, driftwood and trash
Turtles able to reach the beach to nest face additional threats. It is
illegal to drive on Costa Rica’s beaches, but cars regularly plough
deep ruts into the sand at Playa Manzanillo. Both turtle nests and
hatchlings are crushed by the vehicles, and hatchlings trapped in
the ruts cannot reach the sea before heat from the morning sun
kills them. Driftwood and trash on the beach also make it difficult
for the hatchlings to reach the ocean. Nest robbers take an
additional heavy toll.
Sea turtle protection project successes
Rainsong’s Patrol Captain, Walter Cuendis, patrols 14 kilometers of nesting beaches nightly, on foot.
A tireless, fearless protector of the sea turtles, he is known as ‘’tortuga ninja’’ by locals and Rainsong
volunteers. Walter and Mary have endured death threats and aggression from angry gillnetters who want to
end all endeavors to bring the authorities to Manzanillo to stop the massacre
of marine life.
Rainsong’s protection project, which began patrols on December 20, has
encountered 35 nests to date. Eight were leatherback, the others were olive
ridley and black sea turtles. Eleven nests, two of which were leatherback,
were rescued and transferred to a safe location. The rest of the nests were
raided by human nest robbers before they could be saved. Approximately
275 hatchlings have been rescued and escorted to the sea, from nests that
escaped nest robbers before Rainsong began patrols.
Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary is seeking sponsors, volunteers, and donations
to continue the fight to protect the unique sea turtle nesting site at Playa
Manzanillo. For more information, please visit www.costaricaanimals.org,
www.rainsongsanctuary.com, or send an email to:
rainsongwildlifesanctuary@gmail.com
subject title: MARY – SEA TURTLES.