Costa Rica is home to dozens of shark species, many of which are in serious danger of being overfished to extinction.
Last year, former President Carlos Alvarado signed a decree that gutted vital protections, leaving endangered sharks vulnerable to extinction. The former President removed the ability of the Ministry of Environment to protect sharks and shifted management responsibilities to the Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA). This agency lacks the capacity to effectively monitor population trends and stands to benefit from their commercialization.