Costa Rica aspira a ser la capital mundial de la pesca deportiva
Walter Herrera wherrera@larepublica.net |
Jueves 26 abril, 2018
Costa Rica se convirtió en el paraíso mundial para quienes practican la pesca deportiva.
La infraestructura de las marinas, vida acuática, montes submarinos y domo térmico de sus aguas, entre otras cosas, atraen una considerable cantidad de especies marinas para generar un ecosistema balanceado lleno de vida.
“Podemos decir que el país tiene una riqueza impresionante, es considerado de los lugares más importantes en Latinoamérica”, aseguró Henry Marín, coordinador de estrategia y proyectos de la Federación Costarricense de Pesca (Fecop).
Nuestro país ofrece a los participantes especies como pez vela, aguja azul, aguja negra, atún rayado, atún aleta amarilla y dorado, entre otros.
“Costa Rica ya casi es la capital mundial de pesca deportiva, ha consolidado su fama y su marca en los diferentes destinos del mundo. Por sexto año hemos sido anfitriones del Mundial de Pesca Deportiva y en coordinación con el Instituto Costarricense de Turismo hemos colaborado para sacarlo adelante”, aseguró Jeff Duchesneau, gerente de Marina Pez Vela.
El deporte y el turismo se conjugan para aprovechar los recursos naturales sin dañar el ecosistema. La pesca tipo “catch and release” tiene como propósito liberar a los peces sin dañarlos.
Además, el impacto económico en la zona es significativo, generando empleo e ingresos por el comercio.
“En promedio, el turista que viene a hacer pesca deportiva gasta diez veces más que el visitante promedio. Un pescador desembolsa entre $1 mil y $1.500 a diferencia del resto que por día gasta entre $100 y $125. El deporte es caro pero las personas que vienen buscan un estilo de vida elevado: querrán comer en los mejores restaurantes y hospedarse en los mejores hoteles”, añadió el gerente de la marina ubicada en Quepos, Puntarenas.
En el ámbito meramente deportivo, Fecop inició el proceso para que el Instituto Costarricense del Deporte y la Recreación reconozca la pesca como una disciplina meramente deportiva.
Por su parte, la Confederación Internacional de Pesca Deportiva, fundada en 1952 en Italia, con más de 50 millones de miembros de 77 países representantes ya inició con la solicitud con el Comité Olímpico Internacional para la introducción de este deporte.
“Nuestra meta es tener pesca deportiva colocada en los Juegos Panamericanos y hacerlo un deporte olímpico tal y como lo es el surf, tenis de mesa o balonmano, que lograron introducirse para 2020. Es hora de que esta disciplina ingrese a los eventos deportivos más destacados”, comentó Carlos Cavero, director de Fecop.
Sin embargo, el país deberá trabajar en varios factores para convertirse en potencia mundial.
Los intereses de los barcos comerciales de pesca siguen invadiendo la trayectoria de los peces en aguas donde se practica la disciplina y esto afecta la cantidad de animales.
La promoción en el extranjero también es un factor que considerar para aumentar la afluencia de extranjeros en el país.
Miss Judy wins the Marina Pez Vela Open 2018
Marina Pez Vela hosted the annual Marina Pez Vela Open with a record setting field for this warm up tournament for the Offshore World Championships, which are being held this week at the marina. The MPV open is a two day tournament, open to both participating teams in the OWC as a warm up event and to general entry from local or other international anglers looking to compete against some the international visiting anglers. This year, a total of 19 teams participated in the angling action which featured some intense competition between the top teams with the leaderboard changing every hour in a tight two day race.
During the two day event, there were a total of 89 Pacific Sailfish released, 8 Blue Marlin, 18 Yellowfin Tuna and 10 Dorados. The Tuna and Dorado required a minimum size of 15 pounds to be validated and all were weighed at the docks at the end of each day of fishing. Pacific Sailfish were worth 200 points and Blue Marlin for 500 points. The results came down to the absolute last minutes of the tournament with an epic battle which had the first six positions all separated by just one fish.
- First Place: Miss Judy with 2300 points
- Second Place: Fatherz and Sonz team on the Double Nickel boat with 2200 points
- Third Place: Whardafukarwee on the Billfish Boat with 2100 points
- Fourth Place: Caliente (winners of the Quepos billfish cup) with 2100 points
- Top Captain went to Orlando Jimenez
- Largest fish weighed went to a Brazilian Angler Flavio Oliva with a 61 pound Dorado
The Marina Pez Vela Open is a qualifying event for the Offshore World Championship so in addition to the prize money, trophy and awards, the team from Miss Judy has qualified for the 2019 Offshore World Championship with their last minute heroics.
To learn more about tournaments at Marina Pez Vela, you can visit the website, www.marinapezvela,com or www.marinapezvelatournaments.com
Hurricane Otto Emergency
After declaration of National Emergency, national and international departures and national and foreign vessels are suspended until further notice. #HurricaneOtto
Tourists can visit Costa Rica without fear of the Zika virus
The country still has no proven virus circulation
The Costa Rica Ministry of Health and Tourism Board have asked all executives from the national tourism sector to strengthen their cleaning efforts and the elimination of possible breeding sites
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – Feb. 8, 2016 – The Zika virus should not hinder local and international travelers decision to visit the many Costa Rican tourist attractions.
In an official statement issued on Feb. 1 by the World Health Organization (WHO), supported by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), it was stated that no travel restrictions should be imposed on areas affected by the Zika virus. Moreover, there is no scientific evidence of the presence of the virus in Costa Rica.
“The peak tourist season coincides with the dry season in Costa Rica, which decreases the chances of having mosquitos in the country during this period. However, now is the perfect opportunity to prepare for the green season and take all the necessary precautions, such as eliminating possible mosquito breeding sites,” said Dr. Daniel Salas Peraza, health surveillance director of the Ministry of Health.
The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) has requested the tourism private sector and the coastal municipalities to implement preventive measures to control the virus, such as eliminating mosquito breeding sites, given that this season is usually a popular time for travel to Costa Rica. It is expected that if all the recommendations given by the Costa Rica Ministry of Health are followed, this travel season will be more successful than others in the past.
Regardless, the ICT urges collaboration between associations, businesses and community members to disseminate preventive information, so the country continues to be considered a safe destination for tourists.
The Costa Rica Ministry of Health and Tourism Board have asked all executives from the national tourism sector to strengthen their cleaning efforts and the elimination of possible breeding sites. They also ask the same from all tourism and gastronomical establishments that have a special interest in the health and economic wellbeing of their region.
Fish Tank Wins 2016 Quepos Billfish Cup
BY BILL PINO, Blog Squidnation • FEBRUARY 6, 2016
Team Fish Tank traded blows with Caliente for the better part of two days as they both slowly pulled away from the pack.
But after two and half days of battle, Fish Tank pulled ahead for good ending the three day tournament with an impressive 62 sails to win the 2016 Quepos Billfish Cup.
A battle for third ensued as team Fujin and Team Billfish caught up to 3rd place Tranquilo. Fujin actually passed Tranquilo but their stay in third place was short lived.
But the story of the day and week goes to Captain Ben and Chris and Laura Jessen’s Fish Tank. The team started the tournament with a strong 2nd place day scoring 28 releases. They trailed Caliente by 2 going into day 2. Day two Fish Tank took the daily with 18 releases and edged out Caliente to finish the day in first place.
Day three was set as a battle between the two hot boats. The teams stayed tight trading 1st and 2nd place until finally Fish Tank stayed out in front finishing the slowest of the three days with another daily high 16 releases.
Congrats to all the teams and especially to the folks at Marina Pez Vela for organizing another world class event.
Article published by http://blog.squidnation.com/