Illegal fishing: 21st-century pirates plunder treasures of Costa Rica's seas

[Disir]

But these extraordinary riches are being plundered by illegal fishing, with many sharks, rays, turtles and mantas among the devastating collateral damage of longline tuna fishing. It is part of a global illegal fishing crisis worth $10-23bn a year that results in 100m sharks killed every year.

To combat the carnage, a new $1.5m radar system is being built - with backing from philanthropists including the actor Leonardo di Caprio - that will pinpoint pirate vessels up to 70 miles out. This will help enforce a new enlarged marine protection area that entered into force on 11 April.

The radar, the first of 13 in Costa Rica, will be followed by the first station and speedboat on Cocos of the national coastguard, which has greater legal powers.

Current efforts to counter the pirates are limited by resources and the size of the area that must be covered. On the 36-foot Cocos Island national park patrol boat, Captain Isaac Chinchilla points north-east into the steamy distance: “The fishing boats are usually there.”

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Illegal fishing: 21st-century pirates plunder treasures of Costa Rica's seas | Environment | The Guardian

I have a feeling that it's going to get worse before it gets better.