Shark conservation

"Most of the ocean is cold and dark. Most of what is known about the ocean is in that upper 1,000 feet or so. You look at a spot on the map and if you only know what’s at the surface you don’t really know what’s going on, any more than you would know about New York City if you just looked at the tops of the buildings," said world-renowned oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle.

The airline made the announcement via its Twitter account in response to several queries posed by users of the social media site. The Tico Times confirmed the announcement with the airline’s media office.

Campaign backers hope a speedboat will help park rangers better protect the island against illegal fishing. Donations can be made through text message, at banks and supermarkets, and at special collection events.

In politics, perception is everything. And at the nine-month mark, President Luis Guillermo Solís’ administration is taking a pounding in one of the areas that has long set Costa Rica apart from other nations in the region – environmental protection.

The suspension came in response to the controversy sparked after environmental authorities gave permission to the company Smalley Development S.A. to export more than 1,200 kilograms of hammerhead fins on Feb. 16.

Environmentalists and administration officials are at loggerheads over what to do with more than 1,200 kilograms of shark fins — the equivalent of about 2,000 hammerhead sharks — caught as bycatch. The disagreement extends to regulations published in February that environmentalists contend threaten endangered shark populations.