Costa Rica, which holds 5% of the world’s biodiversity is in the grip of a shark catching epidemic controlled by the Taiwanese Mafia! The 1980’s saw Costa Rica become a major recipient of donor aid from the USA & Taiwan. Such was USA investment on the back of aid, that 80% of beachside properties in the country are now owned by North American investors. At the same time as the USA became a major investor, Taiwan became a major donor, attempting to provide technical support and financing to modernise Costa Rica’s fishing fleet. As shark populations around the coast were low, the updated boats, aided by longline technology, were able to greatly increase their catch as they ventured further out into deeper waters. Costa Rica is now a major player in netting sharks. The Costa Rican govt. has tried in vain to rein in the trade, but is greatly hindered by the fact that 32 of the major centres now belong to private companies which are no more than Taiwanese Mafia fronts. Poorly paid coastguards are easily bribed, and the huge fortunes involved in the trade are making it dangerous for those who ask too many questions. Even celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was covered in gasoline and held at gunpoint when trying to document shark finning in Puntarenas. Whether an investigator or simply a tourist, if you carry a camera and stumble into a dock where shark finning is carried out, you WILL be attacked. The situation has not improved since Costa Rica ditched Taiwan in 2007 in favour of China. Since the switch, it is said that Costa Rica has become China’s 2nd largest trading partner after the USA. Now that China has seen a huge drop in shark fin consumption after much worldwide outcry, it remains to be seen how this will affect the shark trade in the long term. Attacks on environmentalists in Costa Rica are on the rise and have taken a far more sinister tone since the murder of Jairo Mora Sandoval. In a separate issue, Costa Rica has just approved a $900M line of credit from China to potentially end a 60 year moratorium on oil exploration in the area as an oil refinery is to be built. This will blow a gigantic hole in Costa Rica’s zero carbon goals, as well as undermine attempts to secure foreign aid for clean energy.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 10:10:48 +0000