Tico Times Article(Eng)    Full PRETOMA statement(Eng)    INCOPESCA Plan(Sp)     (San Jose, Costa Rica) October 10, 2003 - o­n October 2, 2003, INCOPESCA (Costa Rican National Fishery Department) officials published (in La Gaceta AJDIP/415) a new decree they claim will allow for more effective inspections of foreign fishing vessels that have for years been seen violating Costa Rican port rules by landing shark fins at Costa Rican ports.  The decree calls for members of the National Union of Biologists to participate in vessel inspections, even inspect vessels in lieu of an INCOPESCA inspector. 

PRETOMA released a detailed public statement today listing its concerns about the new plan.  Link to full statement

Far from improving controls over shark fin landings, PRETOMA considers that the plan actually fails to abide by existing Customs and Ministry of Public Transportation regulations which PRETOMA contends forbid foreign vessels from landing at private docks and during non office hours.  PRETOMA also considers that the new plan creates a far more complicated and expensive inspection processes, and hinders the collection of accurate scientific information.

"In 2001 INCOPESCA itself passed an easily applicable regulation to ensure vessels do not land shark fins, by demanding that shark carcasses be landed with the fins attached," said Randall Arauz, President of PRETOMA.  "Now, INCOPESCA is going to allow the landing of detached shark fins as long as the fin weight corresponds to a certain carcass-to-fins ratio.  How is a more complicated system that requires analyzing shark fin-to-bodyweight ratios a better solution?" asked a concerned Arauz.  "Of greater concern is the ratio allowed," added Arauz.  "Biologists around the world agree that shark fins equal 2-5% of shark bodyweight.  In the United States and the European Union, no greater than a 5% ratio of fins-to-carcasses is allowed, but in Costa Rica this ratio will now be as high as 16%.  This will allow vessels the opportunity to discard all large shark carcasses at sea to save space in the vessel's hold, and keep o­nly smaller sharks to meet the required ratio."

"PRETOMA contends that two key regulations that currently exist, but are not enforced, prohibit foreign fishing vessels from both unloading cargo at private docks and from unloading outside the hours of 6am-6pm, Monday through Friday," said Jorge Ballestero, PRETOMA Fishery Researcher.  "Unfortunately, the new decree does not address prohibited landings at private docks and calls for biologists to inspect vessels outside authorized hours," notes Ballestero.

"The more you read INCOPESCA's plan the more you have to question it," said Irene Boza, PRETOMA Shark Researcher.  The plan leaves open the possibility that some vessels will not be inspected.  If no inspector is available, INCOPESCA expects vessel owners merely to make sworn declarations of the cargo they unload.  With all the denouncements that have been filed about foreign vessels, putting so much trust in the owners of foreign vessels does not seem prudent."      PRETOMA, along with multiple other NGOs, environmental lawyers and government officials, including the Coast Guard, had previously been discussing the Union of Biologist plan with INCOPESCA and expressing concerns about an original version of the plan.  INCOPESCA officials appeared receptive and a meeting was scheduled for October 9 for further discussions.  Surprisingly, o­n October 2 INCOPESCA's original plan was published in the government newspaper La Gaceta signifying full passage of the regulation.

"We have serious objections to this new plan," states Arauz.  "We would like to see a return to the regulation allowing vessels to o­nly unload fins attached to bodies.  We also call for existing rules of all port regulatory agencies to be strictly enforced," insisted Arauz.  "If INCOPESCA moves ahead with this plan we would like to see The Biologist Union used to compile and process biological information, but we can not condone this new plan unless it complies with other port regulations, and is founded in accepted scientific norms."