ILLEGAL fishing in the waters around the Gal谩pagos threatens to
destroy a marine ecosystem that is as unique biologically as the islands
themselves.
Jack Grove, a fish biologist and research associate at the Los Angeles County
Museum of Natural History, warned last week that industrial fishing fleets from
mainland Ecuador, the US and the Far East are moving into the Gal谩pagos
marine reserve despite an official ban. They have little fear of being caught
because there are no resources to police the ban. 鈥淎s stocks fall, they are
coming closer and closer to the shore,鈥� Grove told a meeting of the
Gal谩pagos Conservation Trust in London.
In December last year, the UN鈥檚 World Heritage Committee warned Jaime Galarza
Zavala, then Ecuador鈥檚 environment minister, that unless the country dealt with
52 issues that compromised the islands鈥� status as a World Heritage Site, the
Gal谩pagos would be put on the 鈥渋n danger鈥� list. 鈥淓cuador is really
alarmed. It shows that the government hasn鈥檛 done enough to protect the
islands,鈥� says Mechtild R枚ssler of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in
Paris.
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Most of the conflicts are linked to the uncontrolled human migration into the
islands, now Ecuador鈥檚 wealthiest state. The committee also stressed the need to
provide adequate protection for the surrounding sea. Ecuador has until May to
report back on the steps it has taken to tackle the threat to the islands鈥�
ecosystem.
The government is drafting a special law for the Gal谩pagos, designed
to tackle some of the problems. Last November, Ecuador declared the waters
around the archipelago a biological reserve under the control of its National
Parks Service.
But in the past fortnight, naturalists in the islands have reported growing
numbers of boats illegally taking sharks for their fins, which are sold to
buyers in the Far East and in the western US, where they are turned into soup.
Some shark fishers are butchering sea lions as bait for their hooks, and there
has been an increase in the number of male sea lions washing ashore with their
genitals missing. Sea lion penises are considered an aphrodisiac in the Far
East.
Tuna fleets have been filmed openly fishing in protected waters, adds Grove,
where turtles, manta rays and sea lions also end up on their hooks and in their
nets. Large-scale spear fishing is also taking its toll of some species.
The Gal谩pagos marine ecosystem has always been overshadowed by the
islands鈥� world-famous fauna and flora. But the sea around the islands is packed
with nutrients, brought to the surface in upwelling currents, which support a
vast diversity of species. Of 437 species of fish found in nearshore waters, 41
are unique to the Gal谩pagos.
Traditional fishing is allowed in parts of the reserve. But the ban on
industrial-scale fishing is not being enforced despite the existence of a patrol
boat to police the regulations. 鈥淭here is no money to pay for the fuel to go
out,鈥� says Grove.
Ecuador鈥檚 November declaration 鈥渋s just another piece of paper鈥�, complains
Craig Macfarland, former president of the Charles Darwin Foundation, an
international organisation that operates a world renowned research station on
the islands. If you talk to the fishermen, says Rodrigo Bustamente, a marine
biologist at the Charles Darwin station, 鈥渢hey haven鈥檛 got a clue about what it
尘别补苍蝉鈥�.