Thursday, May 28, 2009

Shrimping, Good and Bad

"Costa Rica can make its shrimp fishery turtle-safe, or it can lose the privilege to sell shrimp to the U. S.",                                         from a spokesperson from the Turtle Island Restoration Network.

On the 1st of May the United States placed a one year embargo on Costa Rican shrimp because of a failure by the Costa Rican government to monitor and punish those shrimp trawlers not using Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs).  The TED is an internationally required device for commercial shrimp trawlers that allows over 90% of netted sea turtles to swim free.  Last year commercial shrimp trawlers not using the TED netted over 15,000 sea turtles in Costa Rica alone, the majority of which died.  Over the past five years there have been  29 unpunished offenses in Costa Rican waters among the 55 licensed trawlers and several of them have been second offenses.

I read this article first, with shock, and then disappointment in Costa Rica, the country in which I live and work, for its failure to enforce simple actions to save natural resources.  Shrimping here is big business.  Last year the United States bought over 161 MILLION pounds of shrimp from Costa Rican fishermen.  The Costa Rican government has gotten big press internationally lately for all the green things it is doing to preserve the natural resources of the country, but it is only now getting started on preserving the waters that border it on either side, and is obviously turning a blind eye to the offenses of big business.

After I read the full story about the shrimp embargo I thought about my previous post and of Santos Castillo,  a man I characterized as "Pescadero Supremo".  And I thought about how fishing and shrimping are done here in our little part of the Ballena coast.  Santos, and so many pescaderos like him, go out each night in their ancient and oft-rebuilt botes, two or three to a crew.  They chug to familiar spots along the coast and put out their lines in hopes of bringing in enough pargo or rovolo to keep their boats in fuel and their electricity turned on.  I could see Santos' house in my minds eye, with no doors or windows and the thin-walled but spotlessly clean fish cleaning room.  I thought about tiny Santos proudly showing me his day's catch with his wife and business partner at his side wheedling me to take some pargo as well as camarones and reminding me that I was 2500 colones (about $4.25) short.  I also thought of the 161 million pounds of shrimp versus Santos' two or three five gallon buckets.

The shrimp fishing here on the Ballena is done with hand thrown nets, usually at the mouths of rivers just after it rains.  The shrimp spawn in the combination of fresh and salt water and the area in which to maneuver a boat is pretty damn tight.  Santos' catch of fifteen gallons of shrimp was a good one and probably weighed in the neighborhood of 30 pounds.  I bought five kilos from Santos and paid him 4500 colones per kilo for juveniles (15-20 per #), or about $3.50 per # for hand caught fresh shrimp, and he was happy to make the sale.

The turtle is quite respected here in our part of Costa Rica and Playa Tortuga just down the coast is a preserve where the turtles come to lay their eggs.  Yes, there are unscrupulous fish sellers here who will discreetly sell you a turtle egg and the Ticos do think of them as an aphrodisiac.   But it seems that here, without the lure and the temptation of big US bucks for shrimp, that the entire marine eco-system in kept in balance.  Generation after generation hands down not just their boats and secret fishing spots, but also the wisdom and warnings about maintaining the balance of the waters.  

There is talk that this entire coast, rather than just the segment here in front of La Cusinga will be turned into a Marina Parque Nacional and although the pescaderos are fighting it, there would be precious little they could do.  It would be a shame to see Santos and his hermanos del mar lose the right to fish the waters they've spent their lives fishing, but the belief that preserving the coast is a good one.  But I wonder how much Santos and the other lifelong fishermen have done to keep their fish-rich waters productive.  They, more than any of us, rely on the continued health of this coast



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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMay 29, 2009 at 7:54 PM

    I hope it can be seen that the pescaderos are a part of the coast that needs to be preserved. Corporate shrimpers should make Corporate farms, somewhere safe, leaving the natural coast to the natural fisherman.

    It was always fun and impressive back in the day when I worked with you in San Francisco, that you took such care in selecting your suppliers. You always knew that good food came from good people. You developed and enjoyed a relationship with each of the dozens of unique, boutique suppliers you used to bring delightful food to the customers.

    Doing the same in an even more interesting locale now, must bring great joy to you and to the lucky people who are restored by your care and creativity.

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Wednesday May 13, 2009 La Cusinga and Me


This words below are from our website describing La Cusinga.  The story, however is much deeper and much richer than these introductory words can describe.  La Cusinga represents a noble and successful effort to preserve this section of unspoiled coast and to keep it alive as a model of what true ecology can accomplish.  The dreams and visions of John Tresemer, the owner of La Cusinga and the Finca Tres Hermanas that surrounds it, have been realized here in what is a true example for all who would preserve and protect what remains of this, or any natural wonder. 

La Cusinga 
La Cusinga Lodge is a coastal rainforest eco lodge dedicated to marine and terrestrial conservation and environmental education. Its location on the southern Pacific coast provides guests with sweeping ocean views and a relaxing beach vacation. In addition La Cusinga is part of a private nature reserve that supplies the visitor with an unparalleled look at Costa Rican wildlife and rainforest. The reserve consists primarily of 250 hectares of virgin rainforest that borders thousands of more acres of privately protected forest. On Costa Rica’s still wild south-western Pacific coast, La Cusinga Lodge borders Ballena Marine National Park which was developed to protect the humpback whales that frequent the coast. La Cusinga Lodge was established in order to share the unique site with Costa Ricans as well as international visitors. Besides getting exposure to rural Costa Rican culture and beautiful vistas, visitors have access to highly prolific areas of primary tropical rainforest and unspoiled coast, all conveniently accessible. 

i returned to La Cusinga this past January, 2009, with a dream in mind.  I wanted to create a cuisine for our guests that would bridge the gap between what La Cusinga offered physically and spiritually, and what they were putting in their bodies when they ate here.  I knew from having previously lived in Costa Rica for over two years that there were organic farmers and that sustainable agriculture was being practiced, but at that time it had been limited in its scope as well as its distribution.  

My first steps upon returning were toward the local Feria to seek out and communicate my ideas with the growers and vendors who could provide me with a local, organic and sustainable product.  The fertile valleys of San Isidro that lie over the coastal mountains and to the Northeast of our Pacific location are rich and productive but are only now exploring the potential that they hold.  

I had in mind a vision that would support local farmers, fishermen and food artisans and one that would recreate (or perhaps, create) a new cuisine of Coastal Costa Rica.  I visit the markets each week to talk with growers and to develop the  relationships that I believe will be mutually beneficial as Costa Rica experiences its rapid growth on an international level
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Organic farming is a new and not heavily supported concept in our part of Costa Rica.  It is a brave step for farmers to make, as local communities of both growers and consumers have never placed, or not known to place, an importance on farming organically and sustainably.  I feel a responsibility as a Chef here to be at the forefront of those encouraging and supporting these pioneers  

I came to La Cusinga almost three years ago not knowing what to expect.  My first time through here was characterized by a lack of understanding and appreciation on my part as well as an inability to recognize or connect with the local "flavor" that would make for a coherent package for out guests.  I now feel as if I have made a "connect" with the property and the vision.  I am not completely satisfied and hopefully, never will be, until we are able to produce, right here at La Cusinga, the greater share of the produce we serve.  However, the groundwork has been laid with local farmers and the availability and quality of organic produce is impressive.

Now at La Cusinga I serve a variety of organic lettuces and braising greens.  My salads include wedges or slices of rich red tomatoes as well as sweet !00 and yellow pear cherry tomatoes.  I roast organic beets and marinate them in balsamic vinegar to be served alongside the lettuces and topped with a locally made organic goat cheese.

My soups are made from roasted and steamed local organic vegetables and tiny organic yellow creamer potatoes have found their way onto my plates, nestled against filets of locally caught fish.
I am now using a local organic cocoa powder that still contains the nuggets of cocoa butter unlike the fined cocoa powder in the markets.

And better still, I am able to use palmito (hearts of palm), ginger, cilantro and its sawtooth leafed cousin culantro coyote, mangoes, hot and sweet chiles, mandarina limes and yucca root from our own Finca Tres Hermanas to serve in my dining room at La Cusinga.   The connection from jungle and farm to table is evolving.  May it continue to grow.