2,000 Sharks Massacred in Colombian Sanctuary - Oceana USA
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October 19, 2011

2,000 Sharks Massacred in Colombian Sanctuary

Just a few weeks after we celebrated a soaring victory for sharks on the U.S. West Coast, Colombian authorities have reported that as many as 2,000 hammerhead, Galápagos and silky sharks may have been slaughtered in Colombia’s Pacific waters.  

According to the Colombian president’s top environmental adviser, divers saw 10 Costa Rican trawlers illegally entering the Malpelo wildlife sanctuary.  When the divers swam down to the ocean floor, they found a shocking amount of sharks without their fins.

The Malpelo sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site, provides an ideal habitat for threatened sharks. Unfortunately, the high concentration of sharks in the sanctuary draws illegal fishing boats from nearby nations.

It’s sad day for sharks, but we’ll continue working to stop illegal fishing and shark finning. You can help by supporting our campaign to protect our ocean’s top predators from extinction.