Sportfishing crews off the coasts of Los Suenos and Quepos often come into contact with “industrial” seine-netters whenever fishing for tuna—but it’s never been this hostile.

Reports from an encounter on Friday, June 20, describe a helicopter taking off from a purse-seine vessel and dropping small explosives, or cherry bombs, on a group of Costa Rican and U.S. sportfishing boats near a school of yellowfin tuna. According to testimony from Maverick Sportfishing Yachts, the helicopter was flying dangerously close overhead the vessels as a means of intimidation.

“This has been happening over many years,” said Nancy Lebo. Lebo is part-owner of Maverick Yachts. “But now it's been escalating. We only take a couple of tuna at one time, but these guys kill the entire school, the porpoises, everything. They pretty much wreck everything.”

Larry Drivon, the chief fishing officer of Maverick Yachts, and other charter captains harassed from commercial netters have met with Costa Rica's fisheries agency Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA). A formal investigation of the incidents is expected. Drivon provided video and photos from another confrontation with tuna-netters on June 21.

On June 21, seven Costa Rican and U.S. sportfishers were purposely entrapped in a seine net by a massive commercial vessel with Nicaraguan flags, reported The Billfish Foundation. The vessels were trapped inside the net for more than an hour, with the tuna they were fishing for swimming below. Helicopters consistently buzzed the sportfishing vessels.

For more information, see Jeremy Arias’ complete article at the A.M. Costa Rica; www.amcostarica.com/friday.htm