The main sources of income in Tarcoles
Tarcoles is a small town located in the province of Puntarenas, Garabito, with an area of 175.9 km2 and a population of approximately 5,444 people, although it may be small, it has a lot of indoor and outdoor activities and is full of exotic and beautiful wildlife. As a result, tourism and fishing are the main sources of employment, helping the town to develop and make itself known in a positive way.
Ecosystem
Tarcoles is a very important area in the capture of various species of fish of high economic value as well as in the ecological role that these species represent in the nutritional chain, the fishermen’s cooperative of this area has registered 32 species of fish, some of them are snapper, tuna, mahi mahi and mackerel fish. This place is one of the most typical regions in terms of fishing tradition.
Fishing
In Tarcoles it’s normal for families to have a fishing boat as their physical property, which in Costa Rica we call a «panga», because most of them fish in the river or in the open sea, in fact the children learn about this practice from a very early age.
Over time, different organizations have worked to promote responsible fishing, which follows the law and understands how important it’s to take care of natural resources for the future.
Tourism
This area of Costa Rica is also known for tourism, several companies operate boat tours on the Tarcoles River offering nature and birding tours. An attraction that makes the Tarcoles River very popular for the visitors is in fact the impressive view of the large American crocodiles from the bridge. It’s very common to see people getting out of their cars and walking across the bridge to be able to see them for a while. Another great attraction is definitely to visit the Carara National Park which is located very close to the main bridge of Tarcoles, this is a very interesting place to walk along the trails to enjoy the flora and fauna that inhabits itl, ideal to take a break from the city and come and enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility.
Author: Hefsy Guerrero- Nature Group Costa Rica