Shark fin trading in Costa Rica, or shark finning, is an illegal practice in the country. Yet it still continues.
Shark finning is a cruel and barbaric practice of cutting off the fins of live sharks, and throwing the helpless body overboard. Unable to swim, sharks sink and drown. The fins are then sold as an Asian delicacy for soup- a,k.a "Shark Fin Soup" and imported to Taiwan, Hong Kong and China for $100 a bowl.
Aside from the cruelty of shark finning is another concern. The illegal shark finning industry in Costa Rica is putting many shark species on the verge of extinction.
Since the late 1980's, populations of northwest Atlantic coastal and oceanic shark have dropped by an average of 70%, and in 2003 the World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimated that tens of millions of sharks are finned and discarded at sea every year.
As of June 2009, there are 64 known species of pelagic sharks and rays, 32% of which are categorized as either: vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Stop the shark finning industry in Costa Rica.
President of Costa Rica
Laura Chinchilla Miranda
Casa Presidencial
República de Costa Rica
Zapote, San Jose
Teléfono: (506) 2207-9100
Apartado postal: 520-2010 Zapote
Mrs. Maria Guzman Ortiz
Vice-Minister of Environmental Management and Energy
Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications
Front Sacred Heart Church, Barrio Francisco Peralta
San Jose, San Jose - 10104-1000
Costa Rica
Tel: + 506 2248-2149, + 506 2233-4533
Fax: + 506 2257-0232
EMail: vicegae@minaet.go.cr
Mr. Ruben Munoz Robles
Director, International Cooperation
Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunication
Gonzalez Lahaman
San Jose - 10104-1000
Costa Rica
Tel: + 506 22 58 0069
Fax: + 506 2255-1492
EMail: rmunoz@minaet.go.cr, tirracr@gmail.com
Shark fin trading in Costa Rica, or shark finning, is an illegal practice in the country. Yet it still continues.
Shark finning is a cruel and barbaric practice of cutting off the fins of live sharks, and throwing the helpless body overboard. Unable to swim, sharks sink and drown. The fins are then sold as an Asian delicacy for soup- a,k.a "Shark Fin Soup" and imported to Taiwan, Hong Kong and China for $100 a bowl.
Aside from the cruelty of shark finning is another concern. The illegal shark finning industry in Costa Rica is putting many shark species on the verge of extinction.
Since the late 1980's, populations of northwest Atlantic coastal and oceanic shark have dropped by an average of 70%, and in 2003 the World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimated that tens of millions of sharks are finned and discarded at sea every year.
As of June 2009, there are 64 known species of pelagic sharks and rays, 32% of which are categorized as either: vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Stop the shark finning industry in Costa Rica.
