Conservationists hope unmanned aerial vehicles can help fight illegal fishing in Costa Rica's Cocos Island National Park. Similar drones have been used in South Africa to fight rhino poaching in national parks there.
The airline made the announcement via its Twitter account in response to several queries posed by users of the social media site. The Tico Times confirmed the announcement with the airline’s media office.
Campaign backers hope a speedboat will help park rangers better protect the island against illegal fishing. Donations can be made through text message, at banks and supermarkets, and at special collection events.
Of wild-caught seafood that ends up in U.S. fish counters, as much as 32 percent of it is imported illegally, often by boats operating lights-out at night, hauling in tons of animals that will never be counted. The Obama administration's plan includes an ambitious system that aims to track every wild fish and crustacean from where it is caught to where it is shipped in the U.S.
The new plan unites into one group the 10 Costa Rican coastal towns that have special community-managed fishing zones. The group is called the National Network of Responsible Fishing Areas.
DiCaprio highlighted the lack of enforcement in protected areas around the world, including his experience at Costa Rica's Cocos Island, in his remarks at the Our Oceans conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
PUERTO CALDERA, Puntarenas – Before departing on her epic, day-long boat ride to Costa Rica's far-flung ocean territory, Isla del Coco, President Laura Chinchilla stopped off at the Caldera Coast Guard base for the inauguration of the island's new radar system.
