Although trawling stopped definitively in 2019 in Costa Rica, there is an ongoing debate regarding the broader policies derived from the Blue Economy. These have focused on the productive conversion of the fleet (salaried fishers) toward more profitable activities related to tuna fishing, aquaculture, and tourism. This paper takes a political economy approach to oceans and livelihoods, analyzing how the Blue Economy agenda has been implemented in Costa Rica, and what effects this is having on semi-industrial and artisanal fisherpeople in Puntarenas communities. We seek to contribute to critical studies of marine-coastal development and its social consequences in relation to environmental (in)justices in Central America, an underexplored topic in the region.
A pesar de que la pesquería de arrastre tuvo su cierre definitivo en el 2019 en Costa Rica, el debate sigue presente y relacionado con las políticas más amplias derivadas de la economía azul. Éstas se han venido centrando en la reconversión productiva de la flota -los pescadores asalariados - hacia actividades más rentables, relacionadas con la pesca de atún, la acuicultura y el turismo. Este artículo a través de los enfoques de economía política de los océanos y medios de vida, analiza cómo la agenda de economía azul se materializa en Costa Rica a través de estas políticas, y qué efectos está teniendo en los pescadores semi-industriales y artesanales de comunidades de Puntarenas. Con ello, se busca contribuir a los estudios críticos de desarrollo marino-costero y a las consecuencias sociales en términos de (in)justicias ambientales en Centroamérica, un ámbito poco explorado en la región.
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