Water shortages, conservation efforts & Panamadaycharters.com all while fishing in Panama
As we settle into 2016, we have a number of challenges ahead of us as well as some exciting new ventures. We are struggling with the current weather conditions affecting availability of water and concerned about over-fishing and sustainability in the region, but we are also excited about new opportunities for the Lodge and guests visiting Panama!
We are considered the driest part of Panama here on the Azuero Coast, and we are also in the thick of the dry season that runs from December to April. This year, however, we are also in a drought that is believed to be due to El Nino. The entire country is suffering from a water shortage, but along the Azuero Peninsula, around 70 percent of wells are dry. The drought itself has been ongoing longer than the dry season, but conditions should improve somewhat in a few months when the dry season ends and el nino starts to fade out.
We continue to be committed to conservation efforts here at El Rio Negro. Lately, near Coiba National Park, we have found a number of drifting longlines and trash. Trash includes other abandoned fishing gear and plastic waste among other things. While longline fishing may be somewhat less damaging than trawling, both are destructive due to their tendency to catch all types of fish and sea creatures. On our trips we frequently work with our guests to pull in drifting long lines. They often come equipped with stainless steel hooks. These float around the ocean forever catching sea creatures and damaging delicate ecosystems. We have begun working with the Panama Marine Resource Foundation, an organization of residents, sports fishing enthusiasts, commercial fishing interests, and marine conservationists who are concerned about issues of marine environmental sustainability. We are working to create and enforce regulations that reduce over fishing and other problems to help preserve the amazing fishing in Panama.
Finally, we have had an uptick in visitors who are interested in day trips, so we have set up a new website, Panamadaycharters.com. From sport fishing to snorkeling to private beach hopping and more, we offer custom-built itineraries for a variety of activity levels. Visitors have a unique opportunity to experience the tranquil beauty of remote islands in the forms of eco tours, surf tours or catch-and-release fishing among other options. We think you will find the photos and descriptions of the paradises our vessels can carry you to irresistible, and our charter tours will help give our visitors a glimpse of why we love and cherish this area so much.
We have a great deal to offer sports enthusiasts interested in fishing Panama and ecotourists alike, and we are looking forward to a great year ahead as we expand our business and work to improve the region for locals and visitors as well as for our future. Places like Coiba National Preserve need to be protected so that the world can have small places of true untouched nature.