News
Costa Rica’s President named ‘Shark Enemy of the Year’
In a ceremony in Germany this past weekend, the conservation group Sharkproject International awarded Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís the “Shark Enemy of the Year Award.” The award is given each year to a public figure deemed by environmental groups to have done the most to hinder protections for global shark species.
Environmental groups announced Solís’ nomination for the “award” in November with a full-page advertisement in the daily newspaper La Nación. Among the reasons they listed for the nomination were the Solís administration’s promise to fishing groups that it would no longer support additional protections of shark species in international conventions and the adjustment of minimum catch size requirements.
The Solís administration has rejected the award, and claimed its new shark fishing policies are an attempt to alleviate coastal poverty. The government said Monday that the Solís administration “has assumed energetic global leadership in terms of species conservation at the international level.” The government cited as an example its push to include two species of hammerhead shark and the silky shark in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, which regulates trade of threatened species. That lobbying effort took place in 2013, before Solís was president.
Solís is the second Costa Rican president to receive the Shark Enemy of the Year Award, following former President Abel Pacheco in 2006, who was criticized for failing to act against the country’s then-rampant shark-finning industry. In 2013, Solís’ predecessor, President Laura Chinchilla, was given the positive Shark Guardian of the Year Award, for closing down shark-finning operations on the Costa Rican Pacific coast.
As is typical of the award’s recipients, Solís did not attend the ceremony. Instead, Sharkproject International will send the president his rusty metal shark fin trophy in the mail.
Source: www.ticotimes.net
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We’re thrilled to announce the final addition to our new Scubaverse Underwater Photography Team: multi-award-winning underwater filmmaker and photographer Jacob Guy.
Like Shannon Moran, who we announced as one of our new underwater photography team members yesterday, Jacob represents the next generation of underwater image-makers, bringing fresh energy and a seriously impressive set of credentials to the team. A Fourth Element ambassador, teacher at The Underwater Club, and co-founder of 71%, Jacob is passionate about conservation and natural history storytelling, using his lens to inspire a deeper connection to the ocean.
Jacob has filmed and self-produced award-winning documentaries and worked as a photo and video pro in Lembeh and on liveaboards throughout Indonesia. Most recently, he was named Young Ocean Photographer of the Year, further cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting emerging talents in underwater media today.
You may already be familiar with his compelling work across social media, where he shares his ocean adventures via @JacobGuy.media.
“I’m really excited to be joining the team at Scubaverse,” said Jacob.
“And I couldn’t be happier to have him onboard,” said Scubaverse founder, Dave Alexander. “Jacob is part of a bold new wave of underwater storytellers—and I’m delighted that Scubaverse can be part of his journey as he continues to make waves in the world of diving and underwater photography.”
We can’t wait to share with you what our new underwater photography team cook up—there’s a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon, so stay tuned!
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