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Puerto Escondido / Media / Photography / Promotions - Puerto Escondido - RpmSURFER- Puerto Escondido - Media / Photography / Promotions / Puerto Escondido
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BEST WAVES IN ECUADOR THREATENED
BY FISHING PIER(s) CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
(Ricardo Nuñez C. Feb-2008)
The best left point break in mainland Ecuador is threatened by medium tonnage pier construction to be build according to actual project
right on San Mateo fishing village point break- 15 miles south of Manta city in the Manabi province, one of, if not,
the best surfing area of Ecuador. The project according to plan has a value of 10 million USD.
Ecuador has only 3 point breaks in its territory and over 150 miles away from each other. The construction of this pier(s) will have considerable
impacts in the surrounding areas in the Manabi province and surfing tourism in general.
The people of San Mateo will have surfing tourism-which is increasing every year- stopped completely and become dependent only on fish catches,
which, as in other parts of the world, are decreasing 50-80%. San Mateo villagers are mainly fishermen with little education
so by themselves cannot foresee the dead end street they are getting into by allowing and agreeing to build this project right on point
destroying completely the wave which attracts hundreds of tourist every year from all Ecuador and other countries.
Having very low tourism infrastructure, the town have not felt much increase in income by surf tourism,
but locals restaurants are happy with surfers eating their “ceviches” and great tuna & mahi-mahi dishes one of the best in Ecuador.
The high point in this is that there is an alternative area for building this pier right on point which is to move few hundred meters
down the beach (NE direction) closer to town, where even the project can cost less as the access road which is supposed
(According to Manta Technical Department in Port Authorities) to be constructed right along beach will be shorter.
At this area the project can be built without serious impacts on other areas and leaving villagers
with a Eco Tourism alternative and the fishing activity.
Locals and non-locals surfers DO NOT OPPOSED to project just ask authorities to consider the alternative area where the pier CAN be built
with better results for all people and with money saved.
In this case, saving waves, saves dollars spent from government, and saves jobs in future for locals in San Mateo village.
There are romours about another Pier of same size to be built somewhere by Puerto Cayo fishing village,
a small beatiful town about 1 hour south of Manta. So all we do now may have serious consecuences on rest of projects that maybe on plans along
coast of Ecuador that we dont even know. Need to act now!
Lets hope authorities can foresee what local fishermen can not. We ask all surfers in the world to give us a hand here.
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