Large-scale fishing in the Pacific Gulf of Nicoya will be prohibited during the months of May, June and July, according to a decree published recently in the official government daily La Gaceta.

The ban is aimed at “recuperating species and populations that have their reproductive cycles in this gulf,” said MarViva director Francisco Estrada in a statement released by the private Costa Rican conservation organization.

Semi-industrial fishing and shrimp harvesting will be prohibited during this time, as well as fishing with certain types of heavy-duty nets and lines. However, some small-scale fishing will be allowed as long as it is approved by the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA), the statement said.

INCOPESCA published the decree one month before it will go into effect to give fishermen a chance to become aware of it and to allow them find alternative income, seeking help from institutions such as the Mixed Institute for Social Aid (IMAS) if they choose.