Cocos Island is a litmus test of our ability and willingness to preserve the health of the marine environment. As an inducted World Heritage Site, Cocos Island is showcased by the United Nations as a landmark of pride for all humanity. As a national park, Cocos, the largest uninhabited island in the world, is an essential feeding ground for pelagics along the Cocos ridge and Galapagos corridor.

The success of past preservation efforts have now made Cocos Island a target for the fishing industry. This island is one of the few areas of the world where healthy numbers of sharks can still be found. White tips, hammerheads, black tips, Galapagos, silver tips, whale sharks and silky sharks are commonly found in these water. Also home to many ray species, dolphin, turtles, massive schools of fish, Cocos Island currently supports a healthy underwater community. The success of recent conservation efforts has caught the attention of not only sport divers, but also of the fishing industry. As the price of shark fin soup has continued to rise and as fish populations worldwide have diminished, larger numbers of fishermen are willing to poach to fill the holds of their vessels.

Our volunteers were able to document this activity during our expedition. The first few days were spent diving with healthy schools of hammerheads and white tips. The fish came in close to feed. We began hearing fishermen on the radio discussing their plans to fish close to the island. That, coupled with the many longlines we were finding tangled in the coral heads, started a series of questions, interviews and investigations that led to the video we produced on this trip.

Our investigation uncovered long lines, injured turtles, sharks with hooks in their mouths and a battery of fishing boats in the act of illegal fishing. While we are saddened by this discovery, we think we can use our cameras to document this activity, and effect change. The evidence collected is currently in the hands of Costa Rican journalists and lawmakers. We hope that this is one more opportunity where we can use imagery to "Make a Difference".

See the video

Please click here to see how you can help with our "Costa Rica - Save Our
Island Protect our Sharks " project.