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.
Tech firm ImagineXYZ won the Costa Rica Fishackathon 2016 with the idea for a digital remora that would help better track the use of fuel subsidies for fishing boats.
Costa Rica says it will support protections for three additional shark species under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, despite contrary agreements with fishermen.
Environmental groups say recent decisions by the SolĆs administration will greatly harm local shark populations. SolĆs says he's protecting poor fishermen.
The Costa Rican government will not sacrifice fishermen for sharks, President Luis Guillermo SolĆs said last week in response to his nomination for the unflattering Shark Enemy 2016 award.
In this op-ed, two conservationists from the organization Turtle Island Restoration Network tell why they think President Luis Guillermo SolĆs' nomination for "Shark Enemy" of the year is justified.