Shark Massacre Condemned by Colombia

A whale shark, nearly six meters (20 feet) long, swims near the surface of the plankton-rich water near the Philippines. (Scott Tuason/AFP/Getty Images)

Approximately 2,000 sharks were slaughtered in a marine sanctuary off the Pacific coast of Colombia, an act condemned by the government, according to news reports on Thursday.

Colombias presidential adviser for the environment, Sandra Bessudo, condemned the killings, which took place off Malpelo Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, according to The Guardian.

When the divers dove, they started finding a large number of animals without their fins. They didn't see any alive, Bessudo said, according to the newspaper.

Russian research divers found hammerhead, Galapagos, and silky sharks dead and discarded in the water, Bessudo said. Fishing boats flying the flag of Costa Rica were spotted entering the marine zone illegally.

She added that the sharks were caught for their fins, which would be then sold to Asian markets to produce shark fin soup.

The Colombian Foreign Ministry approached Costa Rica to come up with a solution to illegal shark fishing.

We have already contacted the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry to inform them of the investigation and keep them up to date on its progress, so that together we can clear up what happened as soon as possible, the Foreign Ministry said, according to Inside Costa Rica.

Costa Rica responded to the report, with the Foreign Ministry issuing a statement that said it strongly condemns shark fishing and will conduct an investigation into the allegations. It added that any involved Costa Rican-flagged vessels would be prosecuted.




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