The Golfo Dulce:
A Unique Tropical Gulf
The Golfo Dulce, a large gulf on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, is termed a "tropical fjord" because it has a deep basin (215 meters) the depths of which are very low in oxygen. The ecosystem of the Golfo Dulce functions very differently from that of most other tropical gulfs. The Golfo Dulce is the only tropical fjord on the Pacific coast of the Americas. In the entire world only five are known. The Golfo Dulce provides habitat for many species threatened with extinction, such as whales and sea turtles.
The Golfo Dulce is not only prime habitat for marine species. Rare terrestrial flora and fauna inhabit the rainforest which surrounds the gulf. In fact, during the Ice Ages, the land bordering the Golfo Dulce was a "refugia", one of a handful of areas where forest was able to survive the changing world climate and did not become grassland. Rainforest flora and fauna that died out in other regions found refuge in the forests around the Golfo Dulce. Many conservation planners believe that areas that were refugia during previous times of global climate change are of special importance today in developing long-term conservation strategies. If the ecosystem of a particular area survived major climate change in past epochs, it should be more likely to withstand future climate shifts.
Due to its special
characteristics, the Golfo Dulce has a delicate balance and is much more fragile
than a normal gulf. The Golfo Dulce is vulnerable to over-exploitation by
commercial shrimp boats, which currently operate without
any controls within the
gulf. Each time a shrimp boat brings up its nets, thousands of sea creatures
are dumped on the deck. The shrimp are picked out to be saved and the
by-catch-white sea bass, red snapper, mahi-mahi, sea turtles, etc.-is then
dumped overboard-dead.
Local fishermen who live on the shores of the gulf and depend on their catch for their livelihood are suffering from the effects of this over-exploitation. Fifteen years ago these fishermen could set out early in the morning, fish in safe waters within the gulf, and return to their homes by midday with all the fish they needed. Today they can not find enough fish within the gulf. They must go out of the gulf in their small open boats and spend two or three days in dangerous and uncomfortable conditions, far from shore, in order to bring back the same catch. Sportfishers are also affected. A few decades ago billfish could be caught within the gulf. Now sportfishing boats must go further afield.
Few studies have been done on the Golfo Dulce and more research is urgently needed in order to develop and implement guidelines for its conservation.
