Costa Rica shark finners have gory new technique to skirt the law

Interpol photo.

November 8^th 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) A new method of shark finning is making a gruesome appearance on docks in Costa Rica lately – the spinal columns of butchered sharks, with their fins still attached to them.

The tactic is the latest measure being used by shark finners to skirt Costa Rica’s anti-shark finning regulations, which require (by poorly-worded legislation, some would argue) sharks to be returned to land with fins still attached to their spinal columns.

Before Costa Rica and 46 other countries passed legislation against the practice of shark finning, fishermen would simply cut off the valuable shark fins from the live animal, and then dump it back into the sea – as shark fins are up to 100 times more valuable per pound than the rest of the shark, shark finners don’t want to fill up their boats’ holds with entire bodies.  This latest tactic accomplishes the same goal, without apparently violating the law.

The practice is becoming so widespread in Costa Rica that the country has issued an Interpol “purple” notice to the 46 other countries with anti-shark finning legislation to make them aware of the growing practice, though currently there is no word on if or when current legislation might be revised to close the loophole.

For some time, Costa Rica has been amongst the leading shark fin exporters.  Some 350,000 to 400,000 sharks were killed for their fins in Costa Rican waters in 2011 alone.