Costa Rica fishing rrip turns acandalous: Tourists paid to board an unlicensed boa

Q COSTA RICA — A paid fishing trip off Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast ended with the captain detained and the boat seized after coast guard officers found apparent violations of fishing and navigation requirements.

Officers from the Quepos Coast Guard Station stopped the vessel near Dominical de Osa during a patrol. According to Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Security (MSP), the captain lacked the fishing license and documentation needed to offer the service, while the boat had no certificate of navigability.

None of the six people aboard carried a fishing permit. The five passengers, all Costa Rican tourists, said they had paid for the outing and had not been told about the alleged irregularities.

Officers also found fish below the minimum permitted size and a quantity of catch exceeding the limit for tourist fishing.

After the inspection, the Quepos prosecutor’s office ordered the seizure of the vessel, its motor, the fishing gear and the entire catch. It directed officers to take the captain before judicial authorities over a possible violation of Costa Rica’s Fishing and Aquaculture Law.

Buyer beware

The case shows how a trip sold as a routine tourist activity can leave passengers unaware of whether an operator meets legal and safety requirements. Costa Rican law requires a special license for vessels offering tourist fishing trips, and people taking part in tourist or sport fishing must have the required permit.

A certificate of navigability addresses a different concern: whether a boat meets applicable technical and safety conditions.

The missing paperwork was not the only issue officers reported. Their findings about the size and quantity of fish mean the investigation also concerns protections for marine resources.