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in which a law would be passed entailing a prison term of up to two years for any perpetrator involved in the trafficking of fins that have been cut from sharks’ bodies before the catch has reached the dock. In this context, Pretoma has obtained a petition of over 20,000 signatures calling for the suspension of landing permits for foreign fishing vessels. Although the opposition to the trading is high and indeed illegal, effectively cracking down on the industry will be difficult as long as law enforcement and monitoring of fishing vessels is slack and corruption and poverty remain. The
Taiwanese and Indonesian mafia even run their own private docks in Puntarenas which are known to the government and the Costa Rican police but incoming vessels are rarely inspected in a climate of fear. The port of Puntarenas, as of 2003, only had three inspectors allocated to the inspection of hundreds of vessels and generally only examines about 20% of them. As of 2003, no full-scale government investigation has been instituted into the port of Puntarenas, widely known to be the linch-pin of the illegal Costa Rican shark fin trading industry. In 2007, Costa Rica was again internationally criticized for its handling of sharkfinning.
360:(IUCN) estimated that tens of millions of sharks are finned and discarded at sea every year. However, estimates are muddy given the fact that the sharks and their fins cross-cut different fishing markets (not to mention that the vast majority of sharks are exploited in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica as opposed to the Atlantic coast). The major environmental problem facing Costa Rican waters by mass shark finning is that the fishermen involved in the practice of killing sharks for their fins pay no attention to the age, gender, size, or even the species of shark. Young sharks may be killed off, drastically affecting the ability to breed. A further biological complication is that sharks are naturally slow to breed and mature, which makes the possibility of extinction for many shark species in Costa Rican waters increasingly ominous.
186:. This had a major impact on the finning industry in Costa Rica, which subsequently took off in the 1980s (especially after 1986). Due to low shark populations on the coasts, the updated vessels could now venture further out to sea and use longline technology to greatly increase their catches. Meeting the increasing demand in the Tiger economies of the Pacific Rim countries for shark fins brought about their economic growth and increased wealth in the 1980s and 1990s. By the late 1990s, Costa Rica had become established as a major cargo-unloading point for international fleets and thus became a key component in the global finning industry.
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countries imposing ban on fishing of these species. Goaded by WildAid's campaigns in East Asia, high-profile politicians and their kin, film personalities, industrial establishments and committed individuals took voluntary “No shark fin” pledge and many personalities hosted banquets with “shark free” announcements. There is now constant publicity in the media in this regard in eastern Asia.
333:. In spite of such injunctions, the trade in this powder continues and the shark cartilage powder is still widely marketed as a cancer cure, stated to be selling at US$ 145 per gram. It is also stated that in Costa Rica, one single firm alone processed 235,000 sharks every month to manufacture cartilage pills.
363:
As far back as 1999, FAO initiated action to introduce a “Voluntary Plan of Action for sharks.” The response, though not spontaneous, received support from 15 countries including Costa Rica. Even in the early 2000s, the fin trade market's influence on over exploitation of fins was realized, with many
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began a crackdown on shark finning in the early 2000s. However, enforcement is nearly impossible because of corrupt politicians and the terror created by the
Taiwanese mafia preventing officials from making a stand against the trading. A reform bill has been proposed in Congress since the late 1990s
158:
However, various shark cartilage industries in the country exist, depending on the import of cartilages from other countries. Costa Rica is mentioned as one such country where a leading processing plant is said to be purchasing raw cartilages from any source in the world to carry out semi or primary
263:
can fetch up to $ 100 a serving in the top restaurants. However, the demand from Hong Kong natives has reportedly dropped, but this has been more than balanced by an increase in demand from the
Chinese mainland, fueled by its growing economy and increased wealth, as the economic growth of China has
111:
In response to poor incomes and pressure, local fisherman are forced into harvesting shark fins, despite only getting about one dollar per pound on an average, less than a third of its total retail value. Corrupt politicians are silenced with a fee to ignore government regulations. The practice
320:
In the South Asian region, use of shark cartilage in preparing soups is considered a health tonic. Hong Kong imports it from North and South
American countries, particularly for use in either a cooked format or to prepare boiled soup, as a health fad, by mixing it with herbal supplements.
87:
for shark fin as a delicacy. By the 1990s, the shark fin industry in Costa Rica had become one of the world's most important in shark finning, especially as a major cargo-unloading point for international fleets because of tax laws and government corruption in cracking down on the trade.
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in the ocean, has the potential to significantly alter oceanic ecosystems. The high price of the soup means that it is often used as a way to impress guests or at celebrations. Shark fin is also incorrectly perceived by some as having high nutritional value, as well as cancer and
189:
In May 2003, a young Costa Rican Coast Guard official, Manuel Silva, reported the landing of a
Taiwanese fishing vessel with 30 tons of shark fins on board. Not only were the Taiwanese vessels ignored by the four agencies charged with checking incoming cargos but the
124:(Pretoma), “Costa Rica has become intricately linked to this trade for two reasons: It has the biggest longliner fleet in the hemisphere, and it allows international vessels dedicated to the exploitation and trade of shark fins to land here.”
214:
Today, Costa Rica is one of the world's most important participants in the shark-fin trade. Shark finning in Costa Rica was made illegal in 2012, signed into law by
President Chinchilla. There is still a viable illegal market present.
211:. However, shortly into filming, they stumbled across the Taiwanese mafia, the illegal shark fin trade and, feared for their lives when chased by gunboats. They managed to secretly capture footage of the traders in the film.
324:
Another large demand for shark cartilage is for manufacture of "Shark
Cartilage Powder" or pills as a cure for cancer. The anti cancer claims of such powders marketed in many parts of the world has been discounted by the US
121:
715:
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The
Taiwanese mafia dominate the shark finning industry in Costa Rica, although Indonesian gangs also have a foothold in the market. The Taiwanese and Indonesian mafia operate private docks in the
99:, high profile politicians and their kin, film personalities, industrial establishments and committed individuals took voluntary “No shark fin” pledge. In January 2011, British chef
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fighting abilities. Based on information gathered from the Hong Kong trade in fins, the market is estimated to be growing by 5% a year. In 1998, China imported a reported 4,240
191:
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is one of the biggest ports in the world for importing shark fins. They are brought in from overseas and are placed out to dry in the sun on residential rooftops near the port.
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processing before exporting it, particularly to the USA. The USA then markets it worldwide in the processed shark cartilage powder form, under four or five brand names.
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79:, which are often privately run by the Taiwanese. The industry in Costa Rica took off from the 1970s as a result of the growth in demand from the emerging wealthy
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in providing for the
Chinese market. In China, shark fins are increasingly being used in less extravagant items such as cakes, cookies, bread and even cat food.
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147:. According to the Costa Rican customs adviser Omar Jiminez, at least three boats full of shark fins enter the ports in Puntarenas every week.
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spoke of how he and his TV crew were held at gunpoint and soaked with petrol when filming a documentary about the illegal trade in Costa Rica.
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However, there is environmental awareness of the consequences of fin trade exploitation which could result in shark extinction. Prompted by
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Elasmobranch biodiversity, conservation and management: proceedings of the international seminar and workshop, Sabah, Malaysia, July 1997
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put this expensive delicacy within the reach of a growing middle class. This increase in demand, combined with the importance of this
183:
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Since the late 1980s populations of northwest
Atlantic coastal and oceanic shark have dropped by an average of 70%, and in 2003 the
67:
can cost up to $ 100 a serving in top restaurants. Some 95% of shark fin trading activity in Costa Rica culminates in the docks of
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of Costa Rica received technical support and financing from the Taiwanese government to modernize its fishing fleet according to
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to shoot what he thought would be an innocent documentary after sharklife underwater in the film
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and several others where some 95% of all catches are brought in, transported by truck to
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involves sharks being caught by a horizontal drag line with many baited hooks, known as
751:
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A primer on animal rights: leading experts write about animal cruelty and exploitation
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Vannuccini, Stefania; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1999).
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coasts had a profound effect on coastal shark populations throughout the Americas.
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initiated action in 1999 to introduce a “Voluntary Plan of Action for sharks.”
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514:"Gordon Ramsay threatened at gunpoint during illegal fishing investigation"
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of shark fins worth US$ 24.7 million, but Costa Rica competed with
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31:, is an illegal practice in the country. It poses a serious threat to
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An overview of world trade in sharks and other cartilaginous fishes
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Fowler, Sarah L.; Reed, Tim M.; Dipper, Frances (30 June 2002).
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52:
775:"38 Million Sharks Killed for Fins Annually, Experts Estimate"
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Rose, Debra A.; International Traffic Network (January 1996).
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restaurants, where the market has traditionally been strong,
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because of the high value of shark fins in restaurants in the
383:, launched a crackdown on shark finning, with little success.
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194:(Incopesca) also failed to take action following his report.
32:
16:
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Institute for Central American Studies (Costa Rica) (2007).
391:, a noted environmentalist, and his Taiwanese counterpart,
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43:. The trade in Costa Rica is vigorously controlled by the
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Institute for Central American Studies (1 January 2004).
542:"A Sunday at Sea with Sea Shepherd and the Shark Killers"
926:
The diversity of fishes: biology, evolution, and ecology
881:
879:
747:"Disneyland in China Offers a Soup and Lands in a Stew"
1058:
Video footage of an illegal private dock in Costa Rica
690:"Yao Ming unlikely to curb China's shark fin appetite"
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805:"Alternative approaches to prostate cancer treatment"
1031:. Institute for Central American Studies. p. 25
246:Left: Shark fin in a Japanese health store. Right:
544:. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. 6 August 2007
167:In the 1970s, mass local and reef fishing off the
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858:"Chinese Taste For Endangered Seafood Growing"
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892:. Food & Agriculture Org. p. 111.
807:. Prostate Cancer Treatment. Archived from
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636:. TRAFFIC International. pp. 95, 85.
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122:Costa Rican Sea Turtle Restoration Project
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489:"Sharks pay price and fin trade prospers"
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665:"Interview with Rob Stewart on his film
569:. Institute for Central American Studies
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1063:Interview with Rob Stewart on his film
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832:"Shark Cartilage, Not a Cancer Therapy"
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772:
716:"Media silent on shark fin soup affair"
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889:Shark utilization, marketing and trade
669:about the shark problem in Costa Rica"
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1067:about the shark problem in Costa Rica
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773:Bakalar, Nicholas (12 October 2006).
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929:. John Wiley and Sons. p. 226.
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960:Historical dictionary of Costa Rica
39:involvement in the practice within
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860:. Cox News Service. Archived from
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722:. 1 September 2006. Archived from
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963:. Scarecrow Press. pp. 64–.
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745:Bradsher, Keith (17 June 2005).
673:George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
415:. Thailand Life. 3 January 2011.
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197:In 2006/2007, Canadian director
991:Stallwood, Kim W. (June 2002).
923:Helfman, Gene S. (4 May 2009).
830:Pollack, Andrew (3 June 2007).
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25:Shark fin trading in Costa Rica
957:Creedman, Theodore S. (1991).
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71:on the western coast, notably
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997:. Lantern Books. p. 62.
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387:Former Costa Rican president
192:Costa Rican Fishing Institute
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327:Food and Drug Administration
7:
1082:Crime in Costa Rica by type
856:Chao, Julie (19 May 2004).
428:"Shark Fin Mystery Deepens"
201:went to Costa Rica and the
180:National Learning Institute
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331:Federal Trade Commissions
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116:. According to biologist
358:World Conservation Union
35:populations besides the
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337:Environmental concerns
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20:Confiscated shark fins
1092:Economy of Costa Rica
527:Stewart, Rob (2006),
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133:Inversiones Cruz Dock
73:Inversiones Cruz Dock
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597:. IUCN. p. 23.
143:and flown mostly to
1102:Environmental crime
864:on 19 December 2008
785:on November 5, 2006
779:National Geographic
1107:Trade by commodity
752:The New York Times
726:on 2 November 2007
675:. 26 January 2009.
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51:countries such as
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1097:Economy of Taiwan
1004:978-1-59056-003-7
970:978-0-8108-2215-3
936:978-1-4051-2494-2
899:978-92-5-104361-5
643:978-1-85850-114-7
604:978-2-8317-0650-4
516:. 3 January 2011.
487:Boddiger, David.
426:Boddiger, David.
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1028:Mesoamerica
566:Mesoamerica
199:Rob Stewart
49:Pacific Rim
1076:Categories
1065:Sharkwater
667:Sharkwater
529:Sharkwater
400:References
208:Sharkwater
129:Puntarenas
69:Puntarenas
41:Costa Rica
1035:4 January
1010:4 January
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649:4 January
610:3 January
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498:3 January
494:. Pretoma
437:4 January
433:. Pretoma
368:Crackdown
295:Hong Kong
291:Indonesia
287:Singapore
257:Hong Kong
203:Galapagos
149:Kaohsiung
145:Hong Kong
97:East Asia
57:Hong Kong
141:San José
107:Practice
307:Ecuador
299:Vietnam
184:Pretoma
163:History
120:of the
93:WildAid
83:of the
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303:Norway
275:tonnes
219:Demand
153:Taiwan
63:where
53:Taiwan
492:(PDF)
431:(PDF)
283:Spain
279:Japan
61:China
33:shark
27:, or
1037:2011
1012:2011
999:ISBN
978:2011
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894:ISBN
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638:ISBN
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599:ISBN
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550:2011
500:2010
439:2011
348:off
329:and
315:Fiji
313:and
311:Peru
135:and
75:and
59:and
301:,
255:In
173:FAO
151:in
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