Whilst it is estimated that over 3% of the worlds oceans have been designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), enforcement of the regulations within these areas is often difficult. This is owing primarily to the expense and logistics of patrolling large areas of ocean as well as the low probability of arrest leading to prosecution.
One area which has a rich abundance of marine wildlife is Cocos Island National Park (CINP). CINP is an offshore, no-take marine protected area of nearly 2,000 square kilometres located off the coast of Costa Rica. Despite having been afforded National Park status and being a world heritage site, CINP suffers from illegal fishing being carried out in its waters.
The resources currently offered by the Costa Rican Government to patrol the park and deter fishing infringements are not proving adequate to prevent illegal fishing in the region. Hoping to be able to suggest ways to improve the efficiency of the patrols, a group of researchers analysed the last 5 years worth of patrol data to try and ascertain where efforts could be best applied.
During the last 5 years the patrol boats recorded a total of 300 fishing infringements with 34,500 hooks set and 2,000 fish caught. The overwhelming majority of the catch (66%) was made up of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), but sharks comprised 25% of the total recorded catch - predominantly the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis). Shark finning has been reported from CINP and declines in the abundance of sharks within the park have been reported.
The researchers reported that policing the park is confounded even further by the conflict of interest within the fisheries authority: most of the board members are representatives of the fishing industry. In addition to this the poachers do not seem to feel the threat of prosecution: the probability of arrest is very low, the probability of conviction practically non-existent and fleeing poaching vessels have commonly been observed flinging insults back at the patrol boats via the radio.
It may seem as though all of this paints a rather bleak picture for our wildlife (and our sharks!) However the researchers aims were to increase efficiencies amongst the patrol boats to help the wardens make the best use of the limited resources available to them. The analysis conducted by the team revealed that poaching was highest during the first quarter of the lunar phase and the third quarter of the year; the likelihood is that the reduced light conditions during the new moon brought predators closer to the surface and were also favourable conditions to carry out illegal fishing owing to the reduced risk of detection. Time of year also appeared to be a significant factor influencing fishing activity. The researchers therefore suggested aligning the majority of the patrol times to coincide with these peak periods of poaching.
The team also discovered that illegal fishing is focused around a seamount within the park and by zoning this region the park boundary could be more obvious and manageable. Along with this the rangers should be looking to invest in better technology to detect poachers and should also be trained in environmental and marine law - all of which would require a not insignificant monetary investment.
This research goes to show that shark finning - and illegal poaching in general - is not limited to the open ocean, away from the eyes of the law. Preventing these activities from happening requires a greater set of efforts than simply designating an area to be a national park. Protection of the park needs to be enforced and the attitudes of governments changed to encourage them to provide resource to support this protection.
Arias, A., Pressey, R., Jones, R., Alvarez-Romero, J. and Cinner, J (2016) Optimizing enforcement and compliance in offshore marine protected areas: a case study from Cocos Island, Costa Rica http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0030605314000337
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