The latest from Costa Rica and Cocos Island:
Massive fin consumption dims future for sharks

Story Filed: Sunday, September 01, 2002 2:51 PM EST

San Jose, Sep 01, 2002 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Soaring demand in Asia for dishes based on shark fins poses a threat to the marine predators, with thousands of sharks being killed every day in the waters of the Americas to satisfy the desires of consumers on the other side of the world.

Costa Rica is no exception. The rich waters of the Pacific have been invaded by men hunting the ocean's largest predators and who, as environmentalists warn, will gradually leave the waters empty.  A flourishing market where the price of a bowl of shark-fin soup can reach $100 has led to rapid growth in the taking of sharks.  Environmentalists and authorities agree that the biggest problem in Costa Rica is mass shark fishing by foreign vessels, many of which practice "finning."

Shark finning, the controversial practice of slicing off a hooked shark's fins and then dumping the dead or injured animal into the water to save space, is banned in many countries.  Jorge Ballestero, shark fishing project coordinator for the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, told EFE that filling a boat's hold with fins alone multiplies its capacity by 2,000 percent.  "Fins account for close to 5 percent of the animal's total weight, so every boat that does this has the impact of 20," the marine expert said.  Although Costa Rican law prohibits finning, the practice is common on foreign boats, especially those from Taiwan and Indonesia, which also unload the fins at local ports to ship them by air, Ballestero said.  Finning is also illegal in Canada, Brazil, Oman, the United States and Australia.

Fernando Viquez, a presidential adviser at the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute (Incopesca), told EFE that the fins unloaded from these vessels were considered a "product in transit" that was not counted in Costa Rica's exports.  Nor is there an idea of the number of boats operating in this manner because, according to Viquez, of Incopesca's limited staff and budget.

The increase in shark fishing, however, is also apparent in the domestic fleet. Costa Rican fishermen caught 3,272 tons of shark meat in 1998 and 3,670 tons in 2001.  Fins unloaded rose from 218 tons in 1998 to 294 tons in 2001, according to Incopesca, which means that more than 15,000 sharks were killed for their fins last year.  Shark-product exports from Costa Rica shot up from 624 tons in 1997 to 3,572 tons last year.  Of those exports, Taiwan purchased 53 percent, followed by Mexico, El Salvador, South Korea, Japan and Brazil.

Costa Rica exports fresh, dried and powdered shark fins, but they are listed as "other fisheries products," making calculation of exact amounts difficult.  Ballestero said the figures were not exact and that the problem has been underestimated because shark fishing also breaks the delicate balance of marine ecosystems.  "If specific action is not taken soon, the future awaiting sharks and other inhabitants of the sea is very dark," Ballestero said.

Viquez admitted that authorities have their work cut out for them in preserving the lives of these carnivores, but he said local measures have little effect because of the species' migratory nature.  "Global cooperation is needed to keep sharks in the oceans," Viquez said.

For Ballestero, the solution includes environmental education "to promote popular participation alongside official support."

Meanwhile, these giants that have inhabited the planet's waters for 500 million years will continue to be a deluxe dish, one more item of consumption used to maintain people's image and sense of prosperity.

By Nancy De Lemos.
nda/ds/hv
By Nancy De Lemos. http://www.efe.es
Copyright (c) 2002. Agencia EFE S.A.
********************************************

Report from the Shark Research Institute Seychelles
August 31st:
42 Whale sharks were found by the aerial survey team, mainly concentrated in one area off the West coast of Mahe
 
September 1st:
Aerial survey revealed 20 whale sharks in the same area as the previous day. The volunteer survey team spent 6 hours in the area, had 51 in-water encounters with probably 12 different sharks, 6 of which were tagged with new marker tags

For the latest news visit our web site http://www.mcss.sc
********************************************

Utila
Discounted spaces are still available for the Sept 14-21 expedition to Utila.
Promotional fares on Continental are still available.
********************************************

Thank you for your continued support