Costa Rica News – Well The Costa Rican government had to do their monthly capture of 1 shark finning boat for August. The radar picked up 15 boats and they were “only able to pursue”, 1 of them. Most likely the other’s were Chinese boats that had already paid off the Costa Rican government to allow them to escape. Even wonder why Costa Rica wanted to have the Paul Watson trial here?
Easy answer…..The Costa Rican Government is receiving huge kick backs for allowing shark finning in their waters and needed to show they were serious about continuing to receive this money or they were pressured by the Asian countries to get him in prison here. Once in prison in Costa Rica he would have been killed quickly and made seem like it was a normal prison incident.
The Coco Island Rangers in a joint effort with the National Guard intercepted 1 boat with 47 shark fins. No doubt this was the boat that the Taiwanese allowed to get caught. It is like the drugs lords that ship cocaine to the USA that allow a shipment of 15 kilos to get seized from time to time. Governments look like they are trying to take care of the problem and the drug lords and shark finners have acceptable losses.
Geiner Golfín, park director, said the radar detected at least 15 boats in north, but they decided to pursue one.
“We proceeded to identify and made radio calls. The captain (Los Pericos) obeyed orders without any problem, nor resisted, “he said. Which of course was the case, all these guys have to do is keep their mouths shut and then they will get bailed out and receive a nice reward from the Costa Rican government for taking the fall while the other boats got away.
The ship, The Perishersis is registered in the name of the company in Puntarenas named Los Pericos Green SA and carried seven crew members.
During inspection of the ship, officers found the fins in the hold. The director explained that the fins correspond to the thresher shark species ( Alopias pelagicus ) and gray reef shark ( Carcharhinus falciformis ).
According to the Law on Fisheries and Aquaculture, No. 8436, it is an offense if the flaps are completely detached from the body of the shark.
The officers arrested the occupants, who were identified with the names Obando (captain), Matarrita, Jiron, Salas, Carrillo and Duarte, as well as an undocumented alien. None recorded in police records. It would be interesting to watch these Costa Rican’s Bank accounts over the next month or so.
Aug 15th – The Costa Rican Times has found out this boat captain that was arrested did not even get jail time nor fined. He was let off with a slap on the wrist and was told please don’t do this again. Even when the Costa Rican Government catches shark finners they let them go. More Proof they are just in it for the kick backs and money. I wonder what they would have received if Paul Watson had been killed in their prison system? My guess…..private schools and big houses for all the government officials that would help make that possible.
19 comments
The great Mahatma Gandhi said: The size of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. What does shark finning in the size and moral progress in Costa Rica?
They do not put the money in the banks here. Pay offs go into their houses and cars. avoid banks. As observer kill all the sharks destroy our planet and our oceans. However, Tico Juan has a nice house and car. Nothing left for his children in 20 years.
It is up to individuals to help with direct observation, enforcement and action. Its not the Rangers fault. They have one boat and its frequently inoperable.
Private dive groups are making observations and reports.
Countries can make importing shark fin illegal like we did on the west coast of the US.
Individuals like Paul Watson can take action for sharks before they are all poached out.
Tourists can tell the Costa Rican Government to stop allowing this to happen or they can spend there money elsewhere.
The Costa Rican Government does not care if the tourist spend their money anywhere else, they show this in each and every law they pass making it less and less desirable to come to Costa Rica. Also the Costa Rican Government is obviously getting a nice amount of money for allowing it to happen in their waters.
Also if you look at what happened to the captain of this boat that was captured, they let him off with a slap on the wrist, he did not spend any time in jail or get fined. I recommend people just not coming to Costa Rica at all and when the industry that provides over 90% of the GNP goes down the tubes, we will see what they do.
It is a shame but I have to agree in most of it. We, as ticos, do not take ownership and care about our country and planet. Not everybody is the same and I have noticed some improvement. But generally speaking, tico’s care of the present and not the future so if they receive something now (:-(), do not think they (or we) are loosing more in the future. A lot of corruption.
Something additional is that, for those than do not know, this island so far form Costa Rica coast than prevent this to happen is not a very easy thing.
Finally, a thinking … if a person is selling endangered see shells on the beach, it that he/her only fault. Is the right way to stop this putting that person in prison? I would said that could be needed but it is better solution to stop the people that purchase that. The same with the shark problem.
If the Chinchilla administration is prepared to prostitute itself to Japan, Taiwan and others it deserves to be consigned to history and a new administration elected which upholds Coast Rica’s reputation as a centre of conservation.
Wow, I really love finding websites with biased information. So you are the freaking admin of a site called The Costa Rican times and are advising people not to come to Costa Rica? What an idiot. I hope the two million people that come as tourists each year listen to you so that everyone that is dependent on the money they bring just starves to death, would that be a good punishment for what the goverment is not doing? Sometimes people don’t really think hard enough on what they are writing about. Just because you are a fanboy of Sea Sheppard you shouldn’t be making made up accusations that don’t hold any basis. Costa Rica doesn’t have the resources to have a boat with coast guard resources all over our coasts for saving the poor sharks, you know why? because there are a thousand other things that we are more concerned with, people that is poor and don’t have a roof or food on their table. I rather see the goverment helping them than having them expend all our money on keeping the sharks alive. I know we have a lousy goverment, but I hate when people confusses that and start this paranoic stupid arguments asking people not to come to the country as if that has any relation whatsoever with shark fining or as if because there are no tourist, we will somehow and magically take conciousness and get money out of our asses (because there won’t be the 90% GDP according to you)and assign more resources assigned to prevent shark fining.
Luis,
We are not saying do not come to Costa Rica we are publishing stories that your precious ICT and government want swept under the carpet. Maybe if it catches the government’s attention they will do something about it. Perhaps the government will start investing more in education in CR. Stop Shark finning in their waters. Also please point out these programs you are speaking about that put roofs over people’s heads and food on their tables that are run by the Costa Rican government. The 90% of the GNP was an exaggeration to put emphasis on the importance of tourism. The actual number is 20% of the GNP which is a very large number. The fact is the boat captain that got caught got let off with no jail time and no fine. So even when your government catches these people they let them go free. Costa Rica like many countries in the world needs to change we are just pointing out areas. If you think your country and government is perfect you are blind.
Luis, Costa Rica is loosing itself in it’s natural resources. Coco island should and needs protection 24/7. Park rangers are there and need to use radars and what ever means to curtail and stop the slaughter of marine life. However, Your President and ones before her have failed all countrymen here in Costa Rica period! Corruption all the way to the top. “”Give me”” attitude. What does Costa Rica have to offer those who come here?? Use to be clean beaches, Not anymore. Use to be wildlife going going gone. When I lived in Liberia in 1990 the Howler Monkeys were close by and several groups. Now gone! The iguanas been I suspect eaten. Prices of food for a basic meal at the soda 6 bucks for rice beans some cabbage and a small piece of meat and a sugar sweeten drink of tang.I feel sorry for the poor here surviving on a substance of starchy sugar meal with cholesterol laden eggs. Little or no protein. Mantra here Pura Veeeda.. so so sad. Oh Lady Laura signing a trade agreement with Communist China a sweet deal for them not the Costarricenses here CR looses.
Luis, Costa Rica is loosing itself in it’s natural resources. Coco island should and needs protection 24/7. Park rangers are there and need to use radars and what ever means to curtail and stop the slaughter of marine life. However, Your President and ones before her have failed all countrymen here in Costa Rica period! Corruption all the way to the top. “”Give me”” attitude. What does Costa Rica have to offer those who come here?? Use to be clean beaches, Not anymore. Use to be wildlife going going gone. When I lived in Liberia in 1990 the Howler Monkeys were close by and several groups. Now gone! The iguanas been I suspect eaten. Prices of food for a basic meal at the soda 6 bucks for rice beans some cabbage and a small piece of meat and a sugar sweeten drink of tang.I feel sorry for the poor here surviving on a substance of starchy sugar meal with cholesterol laden eggs. Little or no protein. Mantra here Pura Veeeda.. so so sad. Oh Lady Laura signing a trade agreement with Communist China a sweet deal for them not the Costarricenses here CR looses.
Honestly, I will never visit this country, nor will anyone I know, until these atrocities stop
The corrupt politicians in Costa Rica deserve the same treatment that they allow to happen to the sharks….
It is only a matter of time now before Costa Rican corrupt politicians will get the bill.
I make the effort to travel to far away places, Palau, Borneo etc. The main reason is to dive with sharks. Obviously I’m aware of the CoCo Islands and was looking at a trip out that way soon, however there is no way I would sanction such a trip if this is the goverments attitude to its wonderful, deverse narine life. Shame on you Costa Rica, you are blessed with some of the most precious gifts nature can provide and this is how you treat it, disgusting.
[…] O governo da Costa Rica está fazendo tentativas débeis para manter a ilusão de que se preocupa com as águas do país. Desde que o Capitão Watson foi preso na Alemanha e críticas pesadas recaíram sobre a administração da Presidente Chinchilla devido à clara motivação política neste caso de tribunal, notícias têm sido divulgadas na mídia costa-riquenha sobre apreensão de operações comerciais de barbatanas de tubarão de pequena escala. Enquanto isto parece ser uma evolução positiva, a verdade é que não é nada além de uma cortina de fumaça. O governo da Costa Rica não está fazendo nada para impedir as operações ilegais de barbatas de tubarão em suas águas. Parece que agora não só a Sea Shepherd está convencida disso, mas também a própria mídia da nação, como ilustrado neste recente artigo da Times costa-riquenha. […]
Actually, the best method here is to INCREASE tourism to Costa Rica, especially divers who want to visit the marine sanctuaries. Once the government realises the worth of sharks and the marine environment, they can stop taking bribes. Just need to make the waters more accessible to tourists and dive boats in a controlled, efficient and in a manner that preserves the envirnonment. This kind of practice has worked in many places in the world, including Malaysia, some areas of the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.
The value of a single shark’s worth of fins to the local government and fishermen is far, far less than a shark’s life over 15 years to a diving industry.
Dom,
Unfortunately it is the Costa Rican culture to not think about the future. They see the here and now and money in their pockets now is all that matters. This is what has happened with the border trail fiasco, the failed mining project, and the laws that the Costa Rican government are implementing to drive tourist and those living here out of the country. CR does not need an army because they have so many inefficiencies and things that cause you to to just throw up your hands and say I give up and leave.
I was planning to go to Costa Rica for vacation but no way after reading this!
I love the Costa Rica people, but I don’t approve their government, because they don’t stop seriously “shark finning” and for this I will not go on holiday with my friends to Costa Rica.