International celebrity TV chef Gordon Ramsay barely escaped Costa Rica with his life a few days ago attempting to document the “illegal” commercial fishing practice of “shark finning”, where sharks are caught, fins sliced off, thrown back into the ocean while still alive and allowed to sink to the bottom and slowly die.
The story in the Toronto Sun reports that Ramsay was threatened by gun wielding thugs and even doused with gasoline when the chef/sleuth was discovered observing and recording shark fin operations for his new TV show. Local Costa Rican police advised Ramsay to leave the country immediately to avoid being killed or barbecued (which he did and he wasn‘t). Shark finning is one of Costa Rica’s biggest “Hall of Shame” practices that has yet to be brought under control.
Fed by an unlimited cash flow from China, the demand for shark fins (used in shark fin soup) has continued and even increased with the economic upswing that country is experiencing. In China, shark fin soup is a delicacy and has been served at weddings and social events for centuries because of the belief that it has health and fertility benefits . The influence of the Yuan apparently reaches far enough into the Costa Rican government that the wasteful eco-damaging and cruel practice continues unabated mainly in the city of Puntarenas. The following is a quote from the Toronto Sun story which may have originated from Simon Lewis of the Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1343055/Jamie-Oliver-Gordon-Ramsay-Heston-Blumenthal-villains-fishing-world.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was doused in gasoline and held at gunpoint as he tried to uncover the dark world of illegal shark fin trading for a new TV show.
The Hell’s Kitchen star was shooting scenes for a British program Big Fish Fight when he confronted gangsters in Costa Rica who had slaughtered thousands of sharks to sell their sought-after fins.
But Ramsay was left terrified when the gang kept their guns trained on him and his TV crew before throwing fuel over him. He was later advised by local police to flee the country for his own safety.
The chef tells Britain’s Daily Mail, “It’s a multibillion-dollar industry, completely unregulated. We traced some of the biggest culprits to Costa Rica. These gangs operate from places like forts, with barbed-wire and gun towers.
“At one, I managed to shake off the people keeping us away, ran up some stairs to a rooftop and looked down to see thousands of fins, drying on rooftops for as far as the eye could see. When I got back downstairs, they tipped a barrel of petrol over me.
“Back at the wharf, there were people pointing rifles at us to stop us filming. A van pulled up and these seedy characters made us stand against a wall. The police came and advised us to leave the country. They said, ’If you set one foot in there, they’ll shoot you.’”
The only way this destructive practice will stop is through massive doses of negative international exposure. Costa Rica depends upon it’s great reputation as an eco-friendly haven for millions of tourists who flock here every year to experience the spectacular natural wonders that it offers. Hopefully the Costa Rican government and its new president Laura Chinchilla will feel enough shame to begin a genuinely serious police effort to thwart shark finning.
If not, the abundance of the Costa Rican super rich fishing grounds will continue to degrade since sharks are Apex species and serve a fundamental role in the maintenance of the health of all oceans. Take a look at the following stories and watch the videos to learn what’s happening to our sharks because of a bowl of soup:
:) Good to see you writing again, especially about something so important and hush-hush. -t
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