In April 26 and 27 a meeting with stakeholders from the from the Mahi-Mahi(Coryphaena hippurus) longline fishing sector in Costa Rica, was held in order to develop the Action Workplan for its Fisheries Improvement Project’s (FIP). The Mahi-Mahi longline fishing without steel leaders is promoted since it is selective and generates less incidental fishing.
The meeting was held in the auditorium of the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA) in Puntarenas and was carried out under the coordination of the Cámara Nacional de Exportadores de Productos Pesqueros (CANEPP) and INCOPESCA, with support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
For the development of this plan the baseline was presented from the situation assessment and the identification of possible alternatives defined with the information obtained during the pre-evaluation conducted according to the sustainability standard from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Through the FIP development, key actors from this sector are working towards increasing sustainability of the Mahi-Mahi longline fishing sector of the Eastern Pacific Coast in costa Rica, and that to have its systematical improvement be measured by the Marine Stewardship Council. Throughout the world, FIPS act as a conservation tool that helps fisheries to increase their sustainability and competitiveness.
The purpose of the FIP Action Plan is to identify the activities or measures needed to achieve the fulfilment of the MSC performance indicators.
The meeting had the participation of INCOPESCA’s Executive President, Gustavo Meneses Castro, CANEPP’s Executive President, Roberto Batalla and the Executive Director Ana Victoria Paniagua, Roberto Nunez, President of the Longline Fishing National Industry Chamber, department coordinators and INCOPESCA’s technical staff, representatives from WWF Guatemala/Mesoamerica, WWF US, Costa Rican Fisheries Federation and the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
During the coming months, the plan will be concluded and its validation and presentation will be carried out this year, for its prior implementation.