First Costa Rican Court Verdict sends Taiwanese Businesswoman Behind Bars for Illegal Practice of Shark Finning

A historic event happened in Costa Rica where a court handed down a sentence for the first time to a Taiwanese Businesswoman named “Tseng” for illegal practice of shark finning.

It all started with the apprehension of Tseng’s fishing vessel MV Wan Jia Men 88 in October 2011 when it was found out to carry onboard 151 shark fins that was already sliced off from the shark’s body. Although the case was acquitted in 2014, it was later appealed and reopened where the ruling court of Puntarenas found Tseng guilty of damaging the natural resources of Costa Rica.

While it was not stated in the report, it is believed that the sharks were caught from the waters surrounding the Cocos Island National Park. On a more darker side, these sharks are often caught and finned out in an inhumane way. Using baited hooks set in a long line that can stretch out as long as 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), sharks are fished out in the sea, brought onboard and finned out alive where their bodies are thrown back to the sea and drown to their death.

Time Behind Bars

The Court of Puntarenas has handed the guilty verdict just this month to Tseng and sentenced her to 6 months in prison. Although this court ruling is the first for Costa Rican Jurisprudence, it has also raised some question as to the span of prison time. Some has said that 6 months behind bars is not enough punishment for slaughtering such magnificent creature. Nonetheless, we are sure enough that the judge has its own legal basis of handing down the verdict and determine the jail time. At least, a litigation against illegal fishing has been successful for the first time in Costa Rican history and will become a basis for future legal sanctions against violators.

Persistent Illegal Fishing in Cocos Island

Despite heightened patrol and law enforcement activities, illegal fishing around Cocos Island National Park continues to persist. Last year, Park Rangers of Cocos Island during their routine patrol found 14 sharks caught while floating and hooked in a mile stretched long-line within the vicinity of the 12 mile protected park zone. In their attempts to rescue the animals, only six sharks were successfully released back to the sea alive while the remaining 8 were unfortunate enough to meet the end of their line. Close examination of the carcass revealed that the victims were mostly hammerhead and silky sharks which are abundant in Cocos Island.

At the end of the day, illegal fishermen savaging the waters of Cocos island, for the meantime, may enjoy the benefits of the lack of patrolling and outdated equipment by the Park Rangers and the Coast Guard who are monitoring the immense protective zone around Cocos Island. But this temporary benefit will not last long as the government is now strengthening its force to enforce the law of the sea with the arrival of new, bigger and faster patrol boats that will outrun any illegal fishing vessel within the protected zone. So, for illegal fishermen, your days are already numbered.

Reference

Anders, W. February 2017. First Criminal Charges for Shark Finning Delivered in Costa Rica. The Costa Rica Star.

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