Conservation and Management of Sharks

It is illegal in Costa Rica to land shark unless their fins are attached. Despite this, the law is rarely enforced and the rewards for those who breach it are enormous.  Boats from countries as far away as Taiwan can make millions of dollars from a single fishing expedition, their catches of fin destined for the Chinese mainland where shark fin soup is an expensive and highly prized delicacy.  In China, the host who treats his guests to shark fin soup is demonstrating both his affluence and generosity - it's an instant status booster.

Shark finning is not just cruel, it is also wasteful. Fins are sliced from the live fish which are then tossed back into the ocean to die. The rest of a shark's meat is worth so little - just 50 cents a kilo compared to $70 a kilo for the fins - that it would take up valuable space in the boat's hold if retained.

On May 31 2003, Randall Arauz’s PRETOMA organisation secretly captured footage of a Taiwanese fishing landing 30 tons of hacked-off shark fins at a privately-owned dock in the Costa Rican port of Puntarenas, under cover of darkness.  Some 30,000 sharks were killed to provide this ship, the Gruida U Ruey, with its gruesome haul.

The landing of the catch horrified both Costa Ricans and the international community and helped galvanise PRETOMA's campaign to have the existing laws against shark finning enforced more effectively.  Despite this, the practice continues, fuelled by a massive demand for shark fins from the fast-growing Chinese middle class. International fishing fleets, deliberately targeting sharks for their fins, trail lines a hundred miles long - the distance from London to Birmingham - across the waters of the Eastern Pacific as they deplete the ocean's dwindling shark stocks.

According to Randall, winner of the 2004 Whitley Gold Award and the Whitley Award sponsored by the William Brake Charitable Trust, long lining and the practice of shark finning is the main factor behind the decimation of Costa Rica - and the world's - shark populations. But it is also a flagship issue to raise awareness of the threat to the marine environment in general. Other marine species, including the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, are also being driven to extinction by their incidental capture in fishing gear aimed at sharks.

Randall's campaign started in May 2003. "Before then, no one knew about shark finning, now everyone does", Randall has said. “But the Government denied that laws were being broken. We proved that they were - and now we have both the President and the Minister of the Environment on our side. We have filed a lawsuit against the Government for breaking its own laws."

Since winning the Whitley Gold Award in 2004, Randall and PRETOMA have made great advances in their campaign.  PRETOMA successfully galvanised the support of 70,000 Costa Ricans and 35 deputies of the Legislative Assembly, who together signed a petition to President Pacheco calling for a halt to shark finning and the closure of private docks to the landing of international flag vessels, in compliance with Customs Legislation.  As a result of these efforts, the Costa Rican Customs Department decided, as of 22nd November 2004, that all landings of fishery products by international flag vessels at the private docks of Puntarenas would be halted until they complied with the law.  This change in the tide was followed by the passing of a new national fisheries law on February 10, 2005.

Despite these great successes, there is still much work to be done.  The new fisheries law introduced stricter laws prohibiting shark finning and tougher fines and jail terms for those involved in landings, but government commitment to enforce the law remains an issue.  Soon after the closure of private docks, the Director of Customs was removed from her position, ending the dock closure. 

Long-term, Randall would like to see the UN declare a ban on long-lining in the international waters of the Eastern Pacific. He has said: "Costa Rica can spearhead the fight against shark finning, but not while we are one of the culprits."

To see Randall describe how he first became aware of the illegal shark finning activities taking place in Costa Rican waters and to see the video footage that provided the evidence, please visit http://news.discovery.com/videos/animals-shark-finning-whistleblower-on-gruesome-video.html. 

PRESIDENT ARIAS OF COSTA RICA SIGNS DECREES TO PROTECT CRITICAL LEATHERBACK NESTING HABITAT

October 10th 2007

Yesterday, 32 decrees signed by President Oscar Arias were published, which authorise the Ministry of Environment to begin proceedings to establish Las Baulas National Marine Park in Guanacaste. This park includes the two most important nesting beaches for the leatherback turtle in the eastern Pacific, Playa Grande and Playa Langosta, and its protection is crucial to ensuring the survival of this Critically Endangered species.

To read more, click here. 

FIRST SATELLITE TAGS ON SHARKS AT COCOS ISLAND, COSTA RICA

July 17th 2005

On July 17th, shark researchers travelled to Cocos Island, 532 km southwest from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, to place satellite tags on whale sharks and radio transmitter tags on hammerhead sharks.  Data transmitted from the tags will help biologists determine migratory routes of whale sharks and determine if hammerhead sharks are residential at the Island, thus helping in the development of effective management plans for both species.

To read more, please click here.

COSTA RICA CREATES NEW LOOPHOLE FOR LANDING SHARK FINS

June 22nd 2005

Costa Rica’s National Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA) has created a new loophole for landing shark fins by allowing foreign vessels to completely cut off shark fins and then land the fins tied onto shark bodies, instead of attached in natural form.  The new loophole contradicts the new Costa Rican Fishery Law, passed April 25, 2005, which requires shark fins to be landed attached to their respective bodies. 

To read more, please click here.

GERMAN NGO NOMINATES COSTA RICAN PRESIDENT 'SHARK ENEMY OF THE YEAR'

May 16th 2005

PRETOMA REFUSED ATTENDANCE AT IMPORTANT INTER-AMERICAN TUNA MEETING

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) announced yesterday that PRETOMA could no longer participate as an observing organization during the next IATTC annual meeting, to be held in the Canary Islands from June 13-24, 2005. The denial stems from objections to PRETOMA’s attendance by the governments of El Salvador and Mexico. PRETOMA had originally received an invitation to the IATTC meeting at which shark finning and shark conservation in the eastern Pacific will be discussed.

The IATTC, established by international convention in 1950, is responsible for the conservation and management of fisheries for tunas and other species taken by fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Given that the IATTC is the largest fisheries management organization for the eastern Pacific, it represents one of the few avenues for promoting responsible industrial fishing operations at a regional level.

To read more, please click here.

COSTA RICA PASSES LONG AWAITED FISHERIES LAW

February 11th 2005

On February 10, 2005, Costa Rican senators unanimously approved a new national fisheries law.  The new law includes a prohibition on shark finning and creates fines and jail terms for those involved in landing shark fins at Costa Rican ports.  There are also stiff penalties for anyone who harms endangered sea turtles and the law requires shrimp fishermen to use TEDs, special devices which allow sea turtles to escape from shrimp nets.  The new law marks the culmination of more than ten year’s of work by fishermen, senators, industry representatives and conservation groups to finalize the text of the law, and is a major achievement. 

To read more, please click here.

VICTORY: PRIVATE DOCKS CLOSED TO SHARK FINNERS IN COSTA RICA

November 25th 2004

In an action considered late in coming by Costa Rican conservationists, the Costa Rican Customs Department has decided, as of 22nd Novemner 2004, to halt landings of fishery products by international flag vessels at the private docks of Puntarenas, until they comply with domestic laws.  The decision represents a small victory for PRETOMA, who has for two years filed legal complaints regarding the illegal use of the private docks of Puntarenas to land shark fins.

To read more, please click here.

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