Federal fisheries quota cuts threaten Costa Mar's dive season

The Costa Mar Reef Monitoring Network released revised federal catch quotas on Monday, cutting the region's annual sustainable-harvest ceiling by 18 percent effective September 1. The decision, made by the Federal Fisheries Authority in Meridian, cites declining biomass readings from three consecutive monitoring cycles and rising nutrient runoff from agricultural zones in Tierra Verde.

The reduction has triggered immediate resistance from the region's dive cooperatives, which argue the cuts will force tour operators to cancel bookings during the peak autumn season, when arrivals typically rise 40 percent above baseline. Several captains have already notified hotels of potential cancellations.

Governor Solomon Adeyemi convened an emergency session of the Costa Mar Regional Assembly on Tuesday to discuss a formal challenge to Meridian. The Assembly is considering whether to request a Federal Court review of the quota methodology, or to petition the Federal Council for a sixty-day implementation delay.