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A ruling Monday on the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador charged 20 ship crew members with steep fines and prison time for fishing in protected waters, said a report on 88.5 WFDD, Public Radio for the Piedmont in North Carolina, U.S.
The ruling comes at a moment when Costa Rican conservationists are seeking global support to prohibit the exportation of a stockpile of tons of hammerhead shark fins that were harvested during a ban on their capture. CREMA, MarViva and other Costa Rican marine conservation groups welcomed the Ecuadoran ruling.
The boat used for the fishing foray in Ecuador’s protected waters was the Chinese Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, said 88.5 WFDD public radio. Coastal police who intercepted the vessel found more than 6,600 sharks, including hammerheads, silky, thresher and mako, among the 300 tons of catch.
The trial was held on San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands whose waters are off limits to commercial activities. The crew was fined $5.9 million and members can face one to four years in prison, said the WFDD report.
Costa Rica marine biologist Geiner Golfin was interviewed about the case by Quartz and said the global trade in shark fins remains a burgeoning business, partly driven by efforts “to satisfy the expensive Asian dish shark fin soup.”
A group of environmentalists gathered outside the courtroom during the brief trial, and were cheered at the results.
According to UNESCO, the Galapagos Islands world heritage site is one of the world’s largest protected marine areas with some 50,000 square miles and is teeming with sharks.
According to the public radio report, Chinese authorities are investigating the case.
Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment said in a statement, “The sentence marks a milestone in regional environmental law and an opportunity to survive for migratory species,” according to the WFDD report.
