Despite Costa Rica's lack of support for protecting the silky shark or bigeye thresher, the two shark species will receive increased protection in international waters under CITES.
The Costa Rican government angered conservationists Friday when it declined to vote on whether to list two shark species as needing protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
In a letter published as a full-page ad in Spanish-language daily La Nación on Monday, conservation group Sharkproject International announced the nomination of President Luis Guillermo Solís for the 2016 Shark Enemy of the Year award.
Costa Rica’s National System of Conservation Areas placed a one-year moratorium on the exportation of hammerhead sharks last Thursday. The moratorium will put Costa Rica in compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES.
