The real campaign starts- ¡No a Las Granjas Atuneras!
Many of you are already aware of the impending threat of the introduction of a massive tuna farm in the Golfo Dulce. If this is not the case, please read on to further education yourself about the current state of the crisis and find out how you can help us here in Pavones.
All of us at Escuela Camino Claro felt it is of the utmost importance to reach out to our supporters and donors because this is an issue happening literally in Pavones’ front yard, thus directly affecting our thriving Community Education Center.
What are the tuna farms?
Granjas Atuneras S.A. is a company of Venezuelan and Spanish interests, which is looking to place between 10 and 100 cages just outside of the mouth of the Gulfo Dulce. The cages measure 50 meters in diameter and 20 meters in depth and would be positioned a few kilometers off the beach. The tuna would be corralled hundreds of miles out to sea by helicopters, nets, dynamite and speedboats and then dragged back to the Golfo Dulce.
The project would offer little if any economic feedback for the rural communities that surround the Golfo Dulce (us!), but rather benefit a handful of wealthy individuals. Might I interject and say we, as Golfo Dulce residents, don’t even get a bite of tuna: Japan will sure be enjoying a lot of fresh sashimi on our behalf. What’s more- because I assure you we can live without fat, farm-fed tuna on our tables- the project threatens to disrupt the gulf’s delicate ecosystem, a natural resource that supports local fisheries and sustainable tourism opportunities. Fishermen will loose their livelihood, marine life will either be caught in the nets and inadvertently killed or slowly murdered by nitrogen byproducts, and concentrated amounts of tuna carcasses will attract sharks. Not so much fun for two ECC teachers who like to surf and are scared of sharks.
Survey results of the local population show an overwhelming anti-tuna farm sentiment; however, with few expendable resources to allocate to derailing the project, more powerful political and economical intentions are driving the proposal closer to implementation.
YES, IT’S AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS. This is not what we want to see every morning when we wake up…
What can we do to stop it?
Awareness, awareness, and more awareness. The original goal was to finance a referendum that would start the process of denying the project. This was declared ineffective, though, because the timing is too late. Those of you who donated to the fund- do not fret! Your contribution was donated directly to Pretoma (www.pretoma.org), the non-profit ocean conservation group leading the anti-tuna farm campaign. They will use 100% of the money for other attorney fees related to this cause. Most recently, MINAET (Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Telecommunications) has just approved the project and now it’s in the hands of Granjas Atuneras, S.A., awaiting final approval.
Pretoma has been a champion but we need more awareness, support and funding to confront the political interests that are letting this project move forward. Share this, get others involved and let’s step up to protect our waters. It’s more important than ever to get involved and SAY NO to GRANJAS ATUNERAS!
All of this information, and a lot more, is available on Pretoma’s website. They have recently launched a “No Tuna Farms” Campaign:
http://www.pretoma.org/no-tuna-farms-campaign-launchedarranco-la-ca
How can you help? DONATE!
You can donate through ECC’s paypal account available through our website www.caminoclaro.org. Also, Pretoma is accepting donations through it’s online “click-and-pledge” secure donation software, accessible from the website’s main page, www.pretoma.org. We thank you for your concern and are grateful to those who have already made a contribution.
2009 anti-tuna farm campaign festival in Pavones
Most of the community of Pavones is currently wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of planning a “Save Our Gulfo Dulce!” fundraiser for next weekend. Attracting the media and important political figures, such as the mayor of Golfito, is the most important thing we as a community can do at the moment. It’s been remarkable to see the preparation take place over the last month and witness people coming out of the woodwork to help and donate in any way they can. Truly though, in the three years I’ve been here I have never seen so many members of this diverse community come together for one shared cause. It’s amazing, hopeful, and inspiring.
Please check back in a few weeks and I will let you know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed that Raphel and I win something in the gunny sack race, fishing contest, or ECC team surf competition (we try to be involved in extracurricular events). Regardless of what happens next weekend, you can depend on some pretty cool pictures to be posted, thanks to our roommate and pro photographer, Jessie. We are currently trying to convince her to stay in Pavones, maybe in the future ECC could afford to hire her back as our personal photographer? Ha ha, right, that’ll be the day.
See you soon!
Planning, planning, planning…
All jokes aside, it was a good party with lots of laughs and great food. Killer pink cupcakes, might I add, in honor of our dear friends Katie and Daniel who are going to have a girl names Pheonix in a few months. Congratulations, we love you guys!
