Concern in the Galapagos

Sea Shepherd · Issue 19, Jun/Jul 2004 · pp. 28–30

28 The Sea Shepherd conservation research ship Farley Mowat arrived in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos on the morning of May 6, 2004. As the ship was clearing Customs and Immigration, a fishing boat passed close by, escorted by Park rangers. On the deck were a number of recently slaughtered Galapagos sharks. It was a timely arrival. It was the eve of a threatened strike by fishermen that promised more violence against the National Park. The fishermen who have already laid waste to entire areas of sea cucumbers demanded an extended season to further exploit the surviving numbers of the species. At one dollar an animal, and with the demand climbing from the Asian market, the sea cucumber has been under intense pressure from exploitation for many years. As the numbers decrease, the demand and the price increase. The Galapagos National Park is very much aware of how dangerously threatened the sea cu…