shark guardian

In this op-ed, two conservationists from the organization Turtle Island Restoration Network tell why they think President Luis Guillermo Solís' nomination for "Shark Enemy" of the year is justified.

Two weeks ago, before leaving on a trip to the country's distant Isla del Coco, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla stood before the press at the Caldera Coast Guard base in the country's central Pacific and discussed her legacy in marine conservation.

Kathy Tseng, a Taiwanese-Costa Rican businesswoman, was absolved Monday in a Puntarenas court on charges of illegally landing 652 shark fins on a Costa Rican dock in 2011. According to prosecutors and ocean conservation groups, the landmark ruling by a Puntarenas judge has opened multiple loopholes for finners looking to skirt the law.

Despite court orders to close private docks to foreign ships in 2006, Chinchilla's two predecessors left them open.