The festival to Save the Golfo Dulce, to fight against tuna farming and drag net shrimping, was a success by every measure:
- Delivered 704 signatures to President Oscar Arias.
- Guaymi Indians showed strong support.
- Opposition candidate for Mayor of Golfito voiced support.
- The Tico Times wrote a full-page article.
- Mothers, fathers and children learned about the threats to the Golfo Dulce.
700 signatures of support proved that there are sufficient votes to force the municipality to publicly fund a referendum.
After the event, Eric Mora, who will challenge mayor Jimmy Cubillo in September's election, visited with event organizers. Mr. Mora emphasized that the 700 signatures is more than the 500 signatures that would be needed on a formal petition to the Municipality of Golfito to initiate a referendum. This would obligate the Municipality to put the question of the Tuna Farm directly to the people.
The current Mayor, Jimmy Cubillo, did not attend the weekend Fiesta. However, it should be noted that conference organizers could not invite government officials until they had their permits in place, which did not occur until 4 days before the Fiesta.
Victor Rocha (pictured right), President of the National Artesenal Fishing Federation of Costa Rica, was an active part of the Festival. "We have to travel out far enough as it is to fish, and gas isn't cheap," he told the Times.
Representatives from Pretoma said, "The project is slated to have a life span of 8 years, during which time the company, Granjas Atuneras de Golfito S.A., plans to earn $ 20 million per year, only to skip town when natural tuna stocks become depleted.
If you missed the fun, or want to relive it, visit the Flickr photo show below or click here.
The photos have been reduced in size for faster viewing over slow connections. All photos by Barry. Slideshow hosted by Encanto. Special thanks to Jonnie Haas.
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