The offensive practice of shark finning

Semanario Universidad. December 2-8, 2004. Opinion Section
The offensive practice of shark finning
By Carlos Fuentes Bolaños
Profesor, School of Health Technology
Recipe of Asian Country: Buy imported shark fins. Place fins in boiling water. Add herbs
and ingredients rich in vitamins. Serve as soup and savor the dish, which is alleged to have
aphrodisiac qualities. Tell yourself that eating shark fin soup, at a cost of US$70-90 per
bowl, is more effective than taking prescription drugs for sexual enhancement. Tell
yourself that the fact that you are eating shark fins means you have high social status.
Derivatives of shark fins are even used in cookies for your tea and cat food.
Instructions for Developing Country: Allow foreign vessels that fish sharks for their fins,
to fish in your waters. Shark finning is nothing difficult; they just capture the shark, cut off
the fins and discard the bodies, sometimes still alive, back into the water. Without being
able to swim, the finless sharks die a slow death. Of course, given the high price of shark
fins, it is more lucrative to fill the vessels with fins than to conserve ocean ecosystems.
No se preocupe, continúan las instrucciones, para eso se reciben donaciones en
infraestructura y para el desarrollo democrático. Taiwán, uno de los principales
consumidores de este afrodisíaco, el único esfuerzo que exige es extender la mano, que las
autoridades se desentiendan cuando los cientos de toneladas de aletas se desembarquen en
muelles privados, indicar cualquier número de cuenta para depositar los premios y votar a
favor de volver a ostentar su membresía ante las Naciones Unidas. También financia
fundaciones para las relaciones internacionales.
Don’t worry, the instructions continue, for you will receive donations for infrastructure
projects and development of your democracy. For Taiwan, one of the principal consumers
of shark fins, all that is required is to extend a helping hand so that the authorities of
developing countries look the other way when hundreds of tons of shark fins are landed,
indicate which account to donation monies must be deposited into, and then request support
from developing countries for Taiwan’s campaign to once again, join the UN. Taiwan also
finances Foundations for foreign affairs.
In Costa Rica the killing of sharks has been indiscriminate: officially we exported 533 tons
of shark fins in 2003, a figure which is incomplete given that we have no record of the
shark fins landed by foreign vessels in clandestine operations at unauthorized docks.
Imagine the number of sharks you need to kill just to arrive at 533 tons of fins. Millions of
sharks are killed each year around the world just for this criminal practice.
No deja de asombrar cómo se hace alabanza del puente que fue donado por Taiwán por un
costo de 22 millones de dólares, a sabiendas del destino que han tenido algunas de sus ya
controvertidas donaciones. Se le llama "Puente de la Amistad" y eso produce escozor de
alma.
It never ceases to amaze how praise is lavished upon the bridge donated by Taiwan at a cost
of US$22 million, even while it is known where some of those controversial donations
ended up. The bridge is called “Friendship Bridge”, a name which rips our soul.
Populations in the Guanacaste Province and Costa Rica in general, truly needed the bridge;
but it would be reasonable to return the value of the donation, and forbid the Taiwanese and
others to fin sharks. The donation from Taiwan must be examined, because while on one
hand they constructed a bridge, on the other hand they continue capturing hundreds of tons
of sharks and influencing political campaigns. The sharks will continue to be victims of
this predation if efforts are not taken to end shark finning, a practice which threatens entire
ocean ecosystems.
I’m not sure if the National Commission on Nomenclature has even approved this word, a
word that does us no honor.
Riches earned in the shark fin industry are transformed into Taiwanese donations: during
the inauguration of this bridge over the Tempisque River, we were informed that the
Taiwanese government would donate US$15 million as well as loan US$35 million more
for the construction of a stretch of highway to the town of San Carlos. Judging from the
past we will be demonstrative in our appreciation for so generous and splendid a gesture.
Perhaps the stretch of highway will have a name, which like that of the Tempisque Bridge,
will remind us of the friendship between Costa Rica and Taiwan.
The bridge over the Tempisque River deserves a name change. The actual “Friendship
Bridge” does not capture the meaning of friendship: “Pure and unselfish affection shared
with another, that is born and is strengthened with relationship.” It is sufficiently
demonstrated that we’re not talking about unselfishness. Nor is there affection or anything
pure.
There cannot be friendship if in exchange we offer up our ocean resources for a handful of
cash and when an additional objective behind donations is to obtain votes at the UN.
Friends count on solidarity and mutual appreciation, not manipulation or giving in hope of
receiving something in return. It is necessary to be cautious and not enter into international
relationships that fail to align with our values, and we must take special care to protect our
natural resources, the very heritage that we will bequeath to future generations.