22 international NGOs and 12,000 individuals from around the world express their concern
February 19, 2018 – San José, Costa Rica
Ten tons of hammerhead shark fins, accumulating in Inversiones Cruz S.A.’s warehouses since March 1, 2015 when the government issued an export ban as part of its obligations to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), are awaiting export approval from the Costa Rican Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (INCOPESCA). Twenty two marine conservation NGOs from around the world consider any attempt to export the fins a violation of CITES and therefor a major threat to the survival of hammerhead sharks. Because the fins were obtained during an export ban, these organizations, along with 12,000 individuals from around the world, are petitioning the Costa Rican government to stop any attempts to export them.
According to CITES regulations, Costa Rica must determine, through scientific studies, if it is possible or not to extract hammerhead sharks from their natural environment without putting the species’ population at risk, or if their international commerce should be banned. On March 1, 2015 Costa Rica’s CITES Scientific Authority Representative Council (CRACCITES) performed these studies and determined that any export of hammerhead fins would be in detriment to the species’ survival according to the country’s Wildlife Conservation Law. In August 2015 and March 2017 CRACCITES reevaluated the issue and again determined that it was not possible to export fins sustainably.
Frustrated with CRACCITES’ analysis and conclusions, the Costa Rican government determined that sharks are not protected under the Wildlife Conservation Law and granted INCOPESCA the authority to undertake its own study, the results of which will be released in March 2018.
“Obviously, INCOPESCA will recommend that fin exports be resumed, despite two panels composed of the country’s best scientists indicating that the activity cannot be done sustainably”, said Randall Arauz from the USA based organization Fins Attached. “Once again, Costa Rica is evading its CITES obligations in order to favor private interests, in this case the shark fin exporter, in detriment to the public’s interest and of course hammerhead sharks”, continued Arauz.
The Costa Rican organization Endangered Marine Species Rescue Center (CREMA) believes that it is incomprehensible that Costa Rica is going through so much trouble to sidestep hammerhead protection strategies when just four years ago the country led the process to grant the species increased international protection through CITES. In order to start protecting hammerheads, Costa Rica must prohibit the export of this 10 ton stockpile of fins, obtained and stored during an export ban.
For more information:
Randall Arauz
Marine conservation policy consultant
Fins Attached Marine Research and Conservation
+506 8708 8253
CREMA-Costa Rica
+506 2238 6474
+506 8764 4839
info@cremacr.org
How can we create a massive protest in regards to this atrocity ?
Keep in contact please, in some moment we will be organizing a public activity.
Llame al número telefónico que aparece arriba y me dicen que se trata de una casa particular????
Favor a llamar al +506-8708-8253 (Randall Arauz de Fins Attached). Gracias!
Puedes comunicarte al celular 88763117 o al correo ballestucas@gmail.com. Con Jorge Ballestero.
Thanks a lot for the article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
Shark numbers are dwindling including the Hamnerheads. Please help preserve these beautiful creatures, not add to their exploitation!
Save the sharks!
Please stop this practice. Its barbaric and i promise you that this will affect your tourism negatively.
For the good of endangered wildlife and for the good of the Costa Rican eco-image and all the Costa Ricans who work directly and indirectly with tourism, please do the right thing.
Please stop this practice. You will stop scuba divers from traveling there and thus lose tourism money!
Please, please, please! Costa Rica has proven itself to be such a progressive country when it comes to environmental issues and this will be one huge step backward. Please prove Costa Rica to be the forward looking country that it has been for decades.
No…thats wrong. Sharks are vital to ocean ecosystem. Don’t kill for fins…they have a right to live.
Let them sell them and fish them. All out for all I give a shit dam people always try to meet with people livelihood so the Chinese like to eat shark fin soup we like to eat chicken are you going to ban killing those two
Thanks for your comment. Some shark species are going extinct. Aside from the ecological damage this would cause, it would be a darn shame for kids to grow up without the opportunity to see and learn about them.
Instead eating chicken or any other kind of meat we could try to eat vegetarian food. The most importan thing here is not to put endangered animals under a higher threat, eating them, and here we include not just sharks but sea turtles too.
Please stop this terrible practice. No more!