On Saturday, January 8th Pretoma biologist Jorge Ballestero was threatened by a group of 5 individuals in Puntarenas while he tried to responded to a call alerting the public that a large quantity of shark fins were being dried with apparently no regard for health or other operational permits at a dock located on the east side of the city’s Municipal Market.
Shark fins drying at a dock in Puntarenas, Costa Rica
After confirming the large number of fins drying on racks and on the dirt floor, Ballestero tried to video tape the scene when he was approached by the mob and forced to flee into the market. While there, Ballestero was pushed, threatened, and told to give up his camera. Fortunately a police car passed by the area and he was able to get officials Carrillo and Casanova’s attention. At this point the assailants quickly abandoned their aggressive behavior and began blaming Ballestero for stirring up the trouble. Incredibly, the officers sided with the aggressors and told him to present his ID and explain what he was doing in the area. While this was going on, the officers did not let him turn on the camera to document the incident, whereby violating some of his basic civil rights and constituting a blatant abuse of authority.
“Incredibly, the police treated me like I was the perpetrator”, said a deceived Ballestero. “We only ask that the law be respected, one that’s based on the best scientific information available to foment the conservation and sustainable use of our marine resources, and we will never accept these aggressions and abuses against our work to get shark finners to comply with the public’s interest”, asserted Ballestero.
“Recently, the famous chef Gordon Ramsay from the United Kingdom suffered a similar attack in Puntarenas while trying to document shark finning activities at a private dock”, said Pretoma’s Randall Arauz. “The message is clear – if you approach a dock with your camera in Puntarenas where shark finning happens, it’s likely you’ll be attacked and your camera violently taken from you”, lamented Arauz.
Though Ballestero wasn’t able to get any of the events on video, Puntarenas environmentalist William Flores has provided the video he shot a day before outside the same installations.
For more information:
Jorge Ballestero (2241-5227, 8704 8739) balles@pretoma.org
William Flores, (2664 2849, 8816 3326) ambientalista11@hotmail.com
El pasado sábado 8 de enero el biólogo de Pretoma Jorge Ballestero sufrió una agresión por parte de un grupo de cinco matones en Puntarenas, cuando intentó dar seguimiento a una denuncia alertando sobre el secado de una gran cantidad de aletas de tiburón en un muelle sin nombre al costado este del Mercado Municipal, que presuntamente no cuenta con las condiciones de salubridad ni con los permisos respectivos de funcionamiento.
Aletas secandose en Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Luego de constatar la presencia de un gran número de aletas secándose en tarimas e incluso sobre el suelo, Jorge intentó realizar una tomas con una cámara de video, pero fue increpado por los matones quienes lo persiguieron hasta el Mercado, donde a empujones y amenazas pretendieron despojarlo de la cámara. Afortunadamente, una patrulla pasaba por el sitio, y Jorge solicitó protección a los oficiales Carrillo y Casanova. Ante la presencia policial los matones desistieron de agredir a Jorge pero luego ocurrió lo increíble. Los policías, cumpliendo con las demandas de los matones, exigieron a Jorge presentar sus documentos de identidad y explicar su presencia en el lugar, además de que no le permitieron encender su videograbadora para registrar el evento que ocurría a plena luz pública, violando sus más elementales derechos civiles y constituyendo un legítimo abuso de autoridad.
“Más bien la policía me trató como si yo fuera el delincuente”, dijo un decepcionado Jorge Ballestero. “Nosotros recurrimos al cumplimiento de la Ley y el respeto a la mejor información científica para fomentar la conservación y uso sostenible de nuestros recursos marinos, y no aceptaremos jamás estas agresiones y abusos por cumplir con nuestro fin de interés público,” aseguró Ballestero.
“Hace poco el famoso Chef Gordon Ramsay del Reino Unido sufrió un ataque parecido en Puntarenas al intentar documentar actividades de aleteo en un muelle privado,” recordó Randall Arauz, de Pretoma. “El mensaje es claro, si te acercas con una cámara a un muelle de Puntarenas donde realizan aleteo de tiburones, serás agredido y de ser posible tu cámara arrebatada,” sentenció Arauz.
A pesar de que Jorge no obtuvo video, el ambientalista de Puntarenas William Flores facilitó un video que él tomó de las mismas instalaciones el día anterior. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4DGLVs6la8
Para más información:
Jorge Ballestero (2241-5227, 8704 8739) balles@pretoma.org
William Flores, (2664 2849, 8816 3326) ambientalista11@hotmail.com
It’s so sad this happens in a great country like this..
This does not surprise me in the least. Most Govt officials will always support the fishing community and are scared at the loss of jobs and revenue{corruption.}
Here in Hong Kong Island’s western district tons of Shark Fin is readily dried in full view of the public and nobody cares especially the Govt.
I agree!~
But, who is to say that the shark fins were not obtained legally when the whole sharks were landed. Perhaps the group that chased Mr. Ballestero were afraid that the images would not be accurately portrayed. While this doesn’t excuse the harassing behavior I do not think that Mr. Ballestero had a right to invade the privacy of the business by videotaping their workplace. I am as against shark finning as much as the next guy but I am also for privacy.
This is a good point; however, Ballestero was in a public place when he took out his video camera. This does not constitute an invasion of privacy. If the fins had been legally landed, then it would seem that the dock workers/owners would be happy to explain their procedures on camera, not react in the confrontational way they did. Pretoma is not accusing the dock of containing illegally obtained fins. The organization is questioning it’s workers’ violent reactions and whether drying fins on open air racks and on the dirt floor in a violation of the country’s health codes.
dID mR. bALLESTERO GO TO THE POLICE AND PRESENT CRIMINAL CHARGES? If he didn´t then he must in order for this to constitute a documented assault.
Mr: Ballestero must come forth and provide the Cr police with facts on the incident, becasue if he does not we may be inclined to believe that he could be exagerating the truth, this is a very serious matter.
In CR, if you come forht to the authorities they WILL take action, ewpecially in such a charged topic like this one. Please let me know the case file where Mr. Ballestero put forth his ceriminal law suit, he NEEDS to do this for all our sake. RES, NON VERBA!!!!
Thank you for the comment. All proper legal/police actions have been taken.
la verdad no es increible por que bien sabido que los politicos son unos corruptos y por desgracia incopezca esta en manos de politicos y empresarios solo un ciego no lo ve y ese que dice que ballestero debio ir a la policia con hechos para que ellos actuaran me pregunto en que planeta vive es que hasta me estresa como decia mi abuelo que inocente por no ofender y no decir otra cosa
I went to Costa Rica while in college but will not return until Costa Rica properly protects sharks in their waters. Selling off your natural resources to the Taiwanese mafia is not an admirable quality from a supposed eco-friendly country.
Shark finning is something that severly threatens our oceans, sharks are being over-harvested enormously. To see how calm the general public is about this subject enrages me, these animals are generally not brought in whole like the new law in place requires, many boats have compartments where fins can be well hidden, allowing them to fin twice as many sharks. Pull together Costa Rica and help put a stop to this, would you rather earn a couple pretty pennies to feed your family one meal but have our planet react negatively to it? Or do things right and allow healthy lifestyles for your family here and now and for many generations to come.