Welcome to www.sharkscostarica.org. a unique strategic alliance between successful Costa Rican businessman Humberto Brenes “The Shark”, and Costa Rican non profit PRETOMA, to improve the conservation of sharks in Costa Rica and advocate for their responsible and sustainable management in a regional and global context.

Humberto Brenes “The Shark” owns the Costa Rican peanut and legume exporting company Nueces Industriales S.A, his nickname stemming from his success as a poker player with Team PokerStars Pro. Now that he is retiring, he is dedicating more time to playing poker and saving sharks. PRETOMA is a Costa Rican non profit established in 1997, which launched a campaign against shark finning in 2001. After years of activism, Costa Rican now has progressive and efficient legislation against shark finning that has gained the country international recognition.

Through this unique partnership, and as first joint project, participants in PokerStar’s Latin American Poker Tournament, Costa Rica 2008, were invited by Humberto Brenes “The Shark” to donate 1% of their profits to support PRETOMA’s Shark Conservation Program. Each donation had a multiplying effect, as “The Shark” matched the total raised 1 to 1, and in return PokerStars Pro matched this total 1 to 1. The Avina Foundation, a long time Pretoma sponsor, will match the accumulated total another 1 to 1. Thus, each US$ donated by the poker players, was effectively multiplied by 8. Sharkscostarica.org will be carrying out more joint fund raising activities in the near future. Stay tuned!

Join us! Donate to support PRETOMA’s Shark Conservation Program, or better yet, become a PRETOMA corporate member, and support our joint efforts to guarantee shark conservation laws are abided by and that globally, sharks are granted the precautionary management they deserve. ATTENTION: Keep in mind that donations are tax deductible in the United States and Costa Rica.

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