No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsEnvironment and WildlifeStandard Fruit Company in Costa Rica Settles Fish Kill Lawsuit

Standard Fruit Company in Costa Rica Settles Fish Kill Lawsuit

The Administrative Environmental Tribunal of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) last week reached a settlement with the U.S. firm Standard Fruit Company regarding a massive fish kill in the Pacuare River, in the Caribbean province of Limón.

In a conciliation agreement signed last week between the transnational company and MINAE — approved by the tribunal — representatives of the company agreed to pay $115,000 to repopulate the Pacuare with various species of fish, La Nación reported.

The settlement also established that Standard Fruit must initiate the construction of a new airport, valued at $148,000, to prevent future ecological disasters related to the use of pesticides at the company’s banana plantations.

Literally countless fish died, allegedly as a result of an accident at the company’s airport in Batán de Limón, when a large amount of the pesticide Bravo 500 spilled from a storage tank into the river in January 2003.

Representatives of the Regional Environmental Council of Limón said the settlement is demonstrative of a timid government, wary of chasing the fruit company out of the country, La Nación reported.

Still, it may have set a precedent. “This is the first time anybody has had to pay a dime to try to figure out how to mitigate this,” said Emily Yozell, an attorney working for Justice for Nature, a non-governmental organization that has fought legal battles on behalf of community residents affected by fish kills in the region.

Trending Now

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Honduras Reinstates Mask Mandate Amid Rise in Respiratory Illnesses

Honduran health officials have reinstated a nationwide mask mandate following a spike in respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and a fast-spreading Omicron subvariant known...

Costa Rica Launches Traceability System to Tackle Illegal Logging

Costa Rica is advancing with the creation of a National Forest Traceability System, a key tool to guarantee the legality and sustainability of timber...

A Costa Rica Expat and the Devil on His Shoulder

Everyone has a dark side—that little devil in your conscience that says, go ahead and do it! even though you know it’s wrong. It...

Keylor Navas Leads Pumas to Victory in His Liga MX Debut

Keylor Navas kicked off his Mexican league journey with Pumas UNAM in style, leading the team to a 2–0 win over Querétaro at Estadio...

Remittances to Central America Surge 20% Amid U.S. Deportation Fears

Family remittances in Central America grew by around 20% in the first half of 2025, according to official data—a rise that experts attribute to...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica