Wanted Alive! Costa Rica Roosterfish Worth More Alive than Dead

Last night Channel 7 Costa Rica aired a great special called 7 Days (Siete Dias) – in which roosterfish in Costa Rica were tagged using satellite tags to study behavior and range. This special stresses to the local and foreign anglers alike that like the sailfish, the roosterfish is worth way more alive than dead. Anglers flock to Costa Rica annually in search of this spectacular fighter. Not only is the fish a fighter, but its physical features make it even more interesting. It’s 7 comb dorsal fin for which the fish was named, can be seen breaking the waters surface in pursuit of poppers and busting through top-water bait like a locomotive.

Groups like FECOP are trying to bring attention to the importance of healthy roosterfish populations in Costa Rica so as not to lose the valuable tourism dollars this fish brings to coastal communities and the GDP of Costa Rica. This is a release species by law, and is not very good to eat although a lot of locals continue to take these fish when they are caught accidentally or on purpose. It is our hope that promoting the economic importance of this fish and studying its behavior will allow Costa Rica to continue to attract thousands of visitors per year to catch, and release this magnificent species.

The following video is in Spanish , we are working on a subtitled version that should be available soon. We hope to see you in Costa Rica for to see these magnificent roosterfish for yourself. Your fishing trip dollars contribute greatly to the well-being and livelihood of coastal communities in Costa Rica!