Costa Rica Shark Campaign Update 2023

A few weeks ago, we informed you on how the Costa Rican Congress decided to return bill N°21.754, which would have modified the Wildlife Conservation Law for it to promulgated that threatened shark species are wildlife under the governing body of the Fisheries Institute, back to the Environment Commission. This regrettable decision lacks any justification whatsoever.

There is still a chance for the bill to be sent back to the Plenary for a discussion and vote, but we need your help!

Send the following message to the members of the Environment Commission. We only have two weeks of time! We gotta rock! Share with your friends, relatives, anyone who loves the ocean and its threatened marine species…pretty much everyone!

NOTE! Support materials at the end.

Petition

URGENT: Bill N 21.754

Environment Commission Costa Rican Congress Honorable Congressmen,

We hereby respectfully greet you and exhort you to interpose your good offices and immediately send bill N° 21.754, which modifies article 1, paragraph 4 of the Wildlife Conservation Law, back to the Plenary to be discussed and voted on. This bill clearly states that threatened marine species which have been acknowledged as such by the State are under the governing body of the Ministry of Environment. Evidently, there is no justification for this bill to have been returned to this Environment Commission.

-- The bill had already been approved by the Environment Commission of the past congressional period, in 2021.

-- Since hammerhead sharks, thresher sharks and silky sharks are listed under the National System of Protected Areas’ (SINAC) Endangered and Threatened Marine Coastal Wildlife Species List, their extraction and commercialization occurs contrary to the Wildlife Conservation Law (articles 14c and 7), the Fishery Law itself (article 140), and to Constitutional Court jurisprudence ((Exp: 98-003684-0007-CO Res: 1999-01250, 19/2/1999).

-- The recent ruling of the 1st Court of Appeals of the Supreme Court of Justice (Exp. 17-008322-1027-CA Res. 000912-F-S1-2023, 21/6/2023) confirms that sharks are wildlife, and that their declaration as commercial species (AJDIP 290- 2017) was an unlawful act of absolute nullity.

Thus, we exhort you again to immediately send the bill back to the Plenary for a discussion and vote.

Sincerely,

%%your signature%%

BCC yourself

Backup Information

The Project had been approved by the Environment Commission since 2021, and it was waiting for its assignment of a slot in the Plenary’s Agenda for a discussion and vote during the current ordinary sessions, which end on October 31^st.

The shark species that are most caught in Costa Rica, and which constitute 40% of national landings (Arauz and Madrigal, 2022) are two species of hammerhead shark (Critically Endangered), two species of threshers sharks, pelagic (Endangered) and bigeye (Vulnerable) and silky sharks (Vulnerable). These species are listed under the National System of Protected Areas’ (SINAC) Endangered and Threatened Marine Coastal Wildlife Species List (R-SINAC-CONAC-008-2021), because of which they must enjoy strict protection from domestic and international commerce (article 14c and 75 of the Wildlife Conservation Law; article 140 of the Fisheries Law, and Constitutional jurisprudence Exp: 98-003684-0007-CO Res: 1999-01250, 19/2/1999).

The recent ruling of the 1^st Court of Appeals of the Supreme Court of Justice (20210004000440-6487954-1) confirms that sharks are wildlife and that their declaration as commercial species by Costa Rica’s Fisheries Institute was an unlawful act of absolute nullity.