ABSTRACT
Costa Rica needs aquaculture development to increase the availability and quality of fish, particularly in rural areas. The Department of Aquaculture, within the Ministry of Agriculture, guides the development of aquaculture, coordinates efforts of various national institutions and works with foreign investors, scientists, and technicians interested in Costa Rica’s aquaculture potential. The aquaculture development plan has been incorporated into the general development policies of Costa Rica. The first stages of Costa Rica’s national aquaculture development plan have been at least partially completed: the basic infrastructure is in place, and the technology to grow fish is known. When the national plan for aquaculture development was written in 1975, the need for the construction of a basic infrastructure was clearly recognized, with attention given first to establishing adequate fish culture stations. Introducing new fish products can be difficult in some markets, but the areas around Costa Rica’s fish culture stations have accepted the tilapia readily.
