Tárcoles: An Artisanal Fishing Community in the Pacific Coast of

Costa RicaFotography: Pablo Cambronero

Text: Daniela Barguil and María J. Quesada

Coope SoliDar R.L.

Coope Tárcoles R.L. is a fisherfolk cooperative involved in the sustainable management of marine resources.

Fishing is not only an economic activity, it is also a way of life.

Small scale fishermen stretching the nets after a fishing trip.

Coope Tárcoles R.L. has twenty-seven associates that have adopted a responsible fishing code based on the FAO´s recomendations.

Everyday, at the beach, fishermen and women are preparing for their journeys to the sea…

A young fisherman coming back from work. Fishing in this village is a major provider of food security.

“Lujado” (arrangement of the fishing lines) is one of the activities carried out by children and women of the community.

An oxcart is a traditional element of the Costa Rican culture.

A fisherman from CoopeTárcoles R.L. fixing his net for his next fishing trip.

A child during his “lujado” chores.

A teenager baiting the line with “chorizo” (eel).

As part of the Coope Tárcoles R.L.´s fishing code, associates do not use nets with holes smaller than three inches, in order to ensure that they catch the right size of fish.

Portrait of a young fisherman from Tárcoles

“Panga” is the Costarrican word for the small scale fishing boat.

Shrimp is a commercial product but it is also endangered, mostly because of trawling and overfishing.

“Molusquear” is the popular word in spanish for the activity of collecting molluscs.

Many women of the community of Tárcoles feed their own families with these shelfish and they also commercialize it.

“One learns to read the sea like reading a book, if it´s calm, if it´s angry or if it´s sick.”- a phrase once said by Mario Arias, an artisanal fisherman from Tárcoles.

Fishermen have aknowledged the importance of fishing sustainably in order to preserve their cultural way of life.

Coming back from the sea, a fisherman carries back his fishing gear.

As every small coastal community, Tárcoles has a strong cultural link to the sea…

“The sea gives a lot, if it is respected.”- a phrase by Mario Arias, an artisanal fisherman from Tárcoles.