Costa Rica News -Park guards stopped the capture of a bull shark in the area around the Caño Island Biological Reserve in the Costa Rican Pacific.
It measured about three and a half meters. This species is uncommon in the zone.
The incident happened at dawn on Wednesday. The officers were patrolling the south side of the island and discovered a boat inside the protected area. Although they chased it, by the time they caught it it was outside the protected area so the three crewmen had to be released.
Upon returning to the area where the boat was first seen, the officers discovered a fishing line two kilometers long with about 100 large hooks. It had already caught a white tipped shark and the bull shark. The sharks put up a fight but were successfully released.
This is the second boat that breached the protected area this month. Illegal fishing is an ongoing problem around the island.
Ships often use long fishing lines in the area while the boat remains just outside it to avoid being discovered.