Even in Playa Grande -- the last mass nesting beach in the Eastern Pacific for critically endangered leatherbacks -- menus largely feature seafood caught by longlines and trawling nets, fishing practices that have devastating impacts on sea turtles.
Some of the world’s largest concentrations of blue whales, dolphins and sea turtles sit just off of Costa Rica’s shores. For years, this biological hot spot, known as the Central American Dome, has been an unregulated haven for fishermen. Now a group of ocean conservationists and National Geographic filmmakers hope to change that.