A wonderful day on the island of Santa Cruz. Giant tortoises, emblem of the Galapagos Archipelago, were just one of the highlights. We saw these magnificent creatures both in the morning at the Charles Darwin Research Station facilities and again in the afternoon in their natural habitat in the highlands.
The most important topic covered today was conservation. All the efforts that the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) and the Darwin Station are doing in many fields of conservation are remarkable. The hard work these institutions are undertaking for the archipelago is recognized and admired internationally. Not only is the land protected but a very big area of the surrounding ocean as well, as a marine reserve. The Galapagos Marine Reserve is the second largest in the world, after the great coral reef in Australia. It was officially created in 1998 and protects a huge area, 133 000 sq.km, from the coast to 40 nautical miles out to sea.
The Special Law for the Galapagos, passed by the Ecuadorian Congress in 1997, completely bans industrial fishing in the Marine Reserve, which involved mostly purse-seining for tuna, billfish, and sharks. Artisanal fishing by locals, with some restrictions, is still allowed. Unfortunately, the Special Law is regularly violated by the huge Ecuadorian fishing fleet, foreign vessels, and independent operators. The GNPS and the Ecuadorian Navy, who are responsible for enforcing the ban, work incessantly. Tour ships, like thePolaris, that sail regularly around the archipelago help with the patrolling as well. But there is a major problem: the GNPS has only one large, fast operative patrol boat with which to chase violators, the "Guadalupe River". Thanks to the interest of the Sea Shepherd International, the GNPS will soon have the help of another patrol boat: the "Sirenian", pictured here. She arrived last December, and is now anchored in "Academy Bay", Santa Cruz, just awaiting the last bureaucratic measures before setting out to see some action.
Sea Shepherd reached an agreement with the GNPS where they would furnish them with a vessel to patrol Galapagos waters for five years. The crew members and the captain will be provided by GNPS and one representative of the Sea Shepherd will remain with them at all times. This is the first time ever that the Ecuadorian government, due to the importance and the reach of its purposes, has given permission to a foreign vessel to patrol the Marine Reserve. Sea Shepherd International's Galapagos Marine Reserve Conservation Patrol has been named an official project of the International Year for the Advocation of Peace. We all should support this initiative that will help to protect our beloved islands.
