‘They became illegal overnight’: Colombia’s shark fishing ban turns locals into criminals

A government decree welcomed for protecting marine life has left artisanal fishers breaking the law to survive

Every morning, Paola Arbolera loads a few crates of smoked shark and stingray on to her wooden canoe and drags it to the river. Before the sun rises, she rows in darkness to the market in Guapi, a small fishing town on Colombia’s Pacific coast, to sell her goods.

She leaves her canoe under the rafters of the dock’s large loading bay, wedged between rubbish and other canoes, while fellow vendors unload bananas and plantain.

A fish vendor takes to the river in Guapi, Colombia, with her children