Woman to again face Costa Rica court on shark finning charges

Allegedly, Tseng and her fishermen had utilized a gory technique known as “back-boning,” unknown to officials at the time, where the body of the shark is butchered away from its spinal column at sea, leaving the sharks’ fins attached the spinal column. The tactic is designed to skirt Costa Rica law. (Archive image / Interpol photo.)

May 25^th, 2015 (InsideCostaRica.com) A Puntarenas businesswoman of Taiwanese origin will once again head to Costa Rica’s criminal courts on charges of illegal shark finning, after the woman was previously acquitted of the crime on April 7^th of last year.

The charges against the woman, identified by the last name Tseng, stem from September 2011, when the Coast Guard seized 625 shark fins landed from a vessel registered to Tseng.

Allegedly, Tseng and her fishermen had utilized a gory technique known as “back-boning,” unknown to officials at the time, where the body of the shark is butchered away from its spinal column at sea, leaving the sharks’ fins attached the spinal column.

The tactic was designed 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.

Costa Rica’s Attorney General, Celso Gamboa announced on Friday that the woman would face a new trial, after prosecutors filed an appeal against the woman’s acquittal.

There are no laws against so-called “double jeopardy” in Costa Rica, where both the defendant and prosecutors are able to appeal verdicts.

Related:

Shark fins are not illegal, Costa Rica’s environment minister reminds lawmakers

Costa Rica shark finners fly fins to U.S. en route to Hong Kong, documents reveal

Costa Rica to urge for protection of hammerhead sharks

Woman will face charges of shark finning this week

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