Hammerheads were among several species of dead sharks found at the island

Colombian environmental authorities have reported a huge shark massacre in the Malpelo wildlife sanctuary in Colombia’s Pacific waters, where as many as 2,000 hammerhead, Galápagos and silky sharks may have been slaughtered for their fins.

Sandra Bessudo, the Colombian president’s top adviser on environmental issues, said a team of divers who were studying sharks in the region reported the mass killing in the waters surrounding the rock-island known as Malpelo, some 500 kilometres from the mainland.

“I received a report, which is really unbelievable, from one of the divers who came from Russia to observe the large concentrations of sharks in Malpelo. They saw a large number of fishing trawlers entering the zone illegally,” Bessudo said. The divers counted a total of 10 fishing boats, which all were flying the Costa Rican flag.

“When the divers dove, they started finding a large number of animals without their fins. They didn’t see any alive,” she said. One of the divers provided a video that shows the finless bodies of dead sharks on the ocean floor.

Calculating an average of 200 sharks per boat, “our estimates are that as many as 2,000 sharks may have been killed,” Bessudo said.

The sanctuary covers 8,570 square kilometres of marine environment that provides a habitat for threatened marine species – in particular sharks. Divers have reported sightings of schools of more than 200 hammerhead sharks and as many as 1,000 silky sharks in the protected waters, one of the few areas in the world where sightings of short-nosed ragged-toothed shark, known locally as the “Malpelo monster,” have been confirmed. In 2006 Unesco included the park on its list of World Heritage sites.

Bessudo, a marine biologist, has spent much of her career in Malpelo and fighting to preserve the unique marine environment there.

But the high concentration of sharks in Malpelo and the remoteness of the marine sanctuary draws illegal fishing boats from nearby nations which trap the sharks, strip them of their fins, and throw them back into the water. Shark fin soup, considered a delicacy of Chinese cuisine, can fetch £63 per bowl in a Hong Kong restaurant.

Colombia’s navy sporadically patrols the waters and maintains a small outpost on the 1.2 square kilometre island, which is 36 hours from the nearest port. At the time of the reported shark finnings, however, no navy ships were nearby.

Once the report of the finnings were made public, the navy dispatched a ship to the area and on Sunday reported the seizure of an Ecuadorian fishing boat, caught with an illegal catch of 300kg, including sharks and other species.

At the same time, Colombia’s foreign ministry took up the issue with the Costa Rican government, which vowed to co-operate to help stop the practice by ships registered under its flag.

In a communiqué, the Costa Rican foreign ministry said it “energetically condemns” the reported finning and said it would prosecute if the participation of Costa Rican flagged ships were involved. At least three of the ships were identified by their names: the Marco Antonio, the Jefferson and the Papante.

A delegate of the Costa Rican government arrived in Cartagena Thursday and stated that the country disapproves of the Malpelo shark massacre in Colombian waters, Noticias Uno reported.

Arturo Navarro, arrived in the coastal Colombian city as Costa Rica’s representative to the Basel Convention, whose participants seek to minimize and prevent their respective country’s creation of hazardous waste.

At the convention the Costa Rican official informally stated that the country disapproved of fishing invasion that occurred last week in Colombian waters that carried out the mutilation and massacre of at least 2,000 sharks.

Navarro said that in a few days, via diplomatic channels, President Chinchilla or the Ministry of the Exterior would be making an official response to the natural and environmental crisis.

Information from: http://www.projectaware.org/update/shark-massacre-reported-colombian-waters and http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/19837-costa-rican-govt-representative-expresses-disproval-of-shark-massacre.html

Photo courtesy of oceansunfish.org

Thanks to the permission of the Galapagos National Park Service, world experts Dr. Tierney Thys and Dr. Kevin Weng joined forces with Migramar researchers Dr. Alex Hearn (UC Davis) and Cesar Penaherrera (Charles Darwin Foundation) to undertake the first ever study in the Eastern Tropical Pacific of the world’s heaviest fish – the ocean sunfish, Mola mola. Sunfish are seen regularly at only one location in the Galapagos Marine Reserve – Punta Vicente Roca, at the northern tip of Isabela Island. This site has become an attraction for tourists, yet little is known about the spatial dynamics of molas in the Reserve.

A pilot study undertaken in September 2011 aims to gather information about the site fidelity of molas around this point. We placed ultrasonic tags on five individuals, and deployed underwater listening stations at the site. This will feed into the regional array of listening stations deployed from Mexico to Ecuador, so that visits by the molas to these other sites can also be detected. In addition, we placed two fastloc GPS tags, which are providing us with near real-time positions of the tagged fish.

While diving at the site, the research team saw evidence of cleaning behavior by the reef fish in the vicinity. Have you been diving or snorkelling at Punta Vicente Roca? If you have any photos of cleaning behavior, we’d love to see them. Please send them to alexgalapagos@gmail.com and let us know where and when they were taken.

Photo by Alex Hearn

Jonathan has amassed a wealth of information based on sightings by himself and other dive guides over the last twenty years. Although they may be found throughout the islands, whale sharks are frequently seen by divers in the northern islands of Darwin and Wolf between the months of June to November. Most sightings are of large, apparently pregnant females. It is common to see two or three whale sharks in a dive during this period. Early ultrasonic tagging work carried out by the Migramar team suggested that individual sharks did not remain long in the area, but that there was a high turnover of sharks as the season progressed.

The Galapagos National Park Service is leading this flagship effort to understand the movements of the largest fish in the world, in the waters in and around the Galapagos Islands. Funding was obtained through Conservation International by the WellMed Charitable Foundation to place up to 30 satellite tags on whale sharks throughout the 2011 season. On the first trip, 14 whale sharks were tagged, of which one was a male. As the data from the satellite tags comes through, you can follow their movements here on the Migramar site, or on the Galapagos Whale Shark Project Site. .

A silky shark tagged in Galapagos migrated to Clipperton

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), a founding member of the Migramar network of scientists focused on the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), and the Mexico-based research group, Pelagios, have identified a new shark migration record for this oceanic region.

In April, the Pelagios team found records of a silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) in the surrounding waters of Clipperton Island, 2200 km distant from its tagging location at Wolf Island in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). This charts the current record for shark migration in the Eastern Tropical Pacific monitored by the Migramar network.

The record-setting female silky shark, measuring approximately 1.9 meters in total length, was tagged with an ultrasonic chip in the Wolf Island anchorage in March of 2010. The shark remained in GMR waters for approximately two months where it was last detected on May 1, 2010. Since then, its whereabouts remained unknown until its September 18, 2010 detection off Clipperton Island, where it remained for one month. These appearances were recorded via ultrasonic receivers placed by Migramar throughout the ETP.

Ongoing for four years, the shark-tagging project in Galapagos is a joint program of the CDF, the Galapagos National Park (GNP) and the University of California-Davis. It facilitates the capture of biological and ecological data to enhance conservation of ETP pelagic biodiversity. Among the species currently under investigation are whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini), Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis), silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis), and black-tip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus).

Although this individual is the only one of its species to be tagged thus far, its Clipperton registry supports the theory of a shark migration corridor within the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The Migramar network has successfully tracked the movements of hammerhead sharks between the Galapagos, Cocos and Malpelo islands in the heart of the ETP, but never before outside this zone. It is postulated that Clipperton Island serves as a midway resting place for pelagic fish along their migratory routes between the northern and central ETP. Clipperton Island is the only coral atoll in the ETP and is located approximately 1100 km from Tejupan, Michoacan, Mexico. It is a French possession administered by French Polynesia.

The Revillagigedo Islands were discovered by Hernando de Grijalva in 1533 and named after the Count of Revillagigedo, Viceroy of New Spain at that time. The islands were given a protected status in 1994, and, along with the marine area, were declared a Biosphere Reserve Site in 2008.

The expedition will form the basis of a National Geographic TV series called Shark Men, to be aired in 2012. The scientists will be teaming up with Randall Arauz at Cocos Island in Costa Rica, and with Eduardo Espinoza and Cesar Penaherrera in the Galapagos Islands to complete filming later this year.

Andres Lopez from Mision Tiburon

Mision Tiburon Conservationist Association is a Costa Rican nonprofit NGO, whose goal is to promote research, management and conservation of sharks and marine life in our oceans. Mision Tiburon was officially established in 2009 by young conservationists, who are concerned about the drastic decline of shark populations around the world. The promoters of this group are marine biologists whose have worked in the last years in educational projects and marine researches with sharks, rays and turtles. During these years, they have acquired the experience and the knowledge to lead new marine conservation projects.
Mission
Promote conservation and responsible use of marine resources, particularly of sharks, through the development of integrated projects of marine education and scientific research, especially in Costa Ricans coastal communities. In our effort, we hope to be firm and true to our ideals, always respecting the environmental and human welfare.
To promote the conservation of sharks and marine life Shark Mission focused its efforts on the following areas:
Marine Education: Sensitize the Costa Rican and the international society about the importance of sharks in our oceans, the threats that they are facing and their populations decline.
Marine Research: Conduct scientific research with sharks in order to determine management strategies to promote their conservation and responsible use.
Political and social advocacy: Use technical and scientific information as a tool for influencing civil society and public policy to promote the conservation of sharks and others marine species.

Mantas are now legally protected in Ecuador.

Migramar member Andres Baquero (Director of Equilibrio Azul) said,

“This is a huge step in terms of marine conservation for Ecuador, especially for elasmobranchs.

With this resolution our Government has shown a big interest in protecting delicate species and hopefully more will follow. In terms of the coast of Ecuador, this is one of the most important events of the decade.

We wanted to share it with you, maybe some other countries may replicate this initiative of Ecuador´s Government in the future.”

Mantas can be found in large numbers along the coast of Ecuador at certain times of the year, especially at Isla de la Plata, where they have formed the basis of a dive tourism industry.

Official Resolution

The Accord consists of seven Articles, summarised as follows:

Article 1. Forbids fishing of: Manta birostris, Mobula japonica, Mobula thurstoni, Mobula munkiana and Mobula tarapacana.

Article 2. In the case of incidental fishing of any of these species, they are to be returned to their natural habitat.

Article 3. Keeping or storage of the mentioned species, alive or dead, whole or in parts, is likewise forbidden and are not to be the subject of human consumption, commercialization or transport.

Article 4. The relevant authorities will apply the necessary measures to make this Accord effective.

Article 5. Non compliance with this Accord will result in legal action (administrative and/or penal) according with existing Fishing Laws.

Article 6. Relevant communication and socialization material will be produced by to

Download: Acuerdo 093 – Veda Mantarrayas (in Spanish).

Visit the Subsecretary of Fishing Resources of the Government of Ecuador’s website.

Sandra Bessudo

This past July 2nd, Colombia’s President-elect Juan Manuel Santos announced that Sandra will join his cabinet as Colombia’s first environment minister.

This is because the Ministry for Environment, Housing and Territorial Development, created by outgoing President Alvaro Uribe, will be split up and the Environment portfolio will stand as an independent government department.

Authorities have already begun working with Bessudo to inform future officials about existing projects and hand over the ministry.

Bessudo’s focus will include the reduction of pollution levels in the country’s water resources, climate change and biodiversity issues, as well as environment-related agreements signed by Colombia.

The new ministry’s efforts will also involve the protection of forests, improving waste management, controlling the use of pesticides, and the reduction of pollution in urban areas.

Science to action?

Sandra’s appointment to government high office will mean she will have to adopt a new role, quit distinct from her past environmental work. In an interview with Colombian news outled El Espectador on the 2nd July, Sandra said:

“I have dedicated my life to conservation, particularly marine conservation, and if indeed I am designated Minister, I will of course carry out this task to the best of my abilitie. I will aim to bring together all sides to try to build consensus.”

I am aware that a ministerial job is not for life, and I know will always be able to return to full-time marine research and conservation in the future.”

See also:

El Espectador (in Spanish) – Interview with Sandra Bessudo
Sandra Bessudo es designada por Santos como ministra de Ambiente

El Tiempo (in Spanish)
Sandra Bessudo será ministra de Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de Juan Manuel Santos

Colombia Reports – (in English)
Santos names Bessudo environment minister

The Sharks International conference was the first of its kind.

B.Sc. Peñaherrera, of the Charles Darwin Foundation in Galapagos, presented an analysis of the main interactions between sharks and humans in activities such as fisheries and research, but mainly focusing on tourism interactions.

Sharks International

The aim of the conference was to provide a forum for the world’s leading shark and ray experts, along with students and up and coming early career researchers, to get together to share ideas, update information and report on the progress of the most recent scientific studies in the field of shark and ray ecology.

César Peñaherrera during his presentation. Click to enlarge.

Sharing MigraMar’s commitment to international cooperation, the conference recognised that as these marine species become more affected by human and environmental factors on a global scale, international approaches to their study and management will be increasingly important.

Keynote speakers included Barry Bruce, Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation at Hobart, Australia, Christopher Lowe from California State University, Long Beach, USA, Geremy Cliff from KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board in Umhlanga, South Africa and John West from Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia.

Our findings

Abstract from ‘Human-Shark Interactions in the Galapagos Islands’
Peñaherrera-Palma, C^a, Hearn, Ar^b, Ketchum, JT^b, Nicolaides, F^c, Espinoza, E^d, Henderson, S^e, Wolff, M^a, & Klimley, AP^b

^aCharles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos Island, Ecuador; ^bUniversity of California, Davis; ^cGalapagos National Park; ^dFishing National Institute of Ecuador; ^eConservation International

Thirty-one species of sharks are thought to inhabit the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR), either as permanent residents or seasonal migrants.

Human-shark interactions in the GMR are an interesting case study of the problems facing multi-use reserves. Although they are protected, sharks are still targeted illegally by local and national or foreign industrial fishers for their fins – an example of how local processes are driven by external pressures.

Like many other places, tourism is seen as the key to conserving shark species while providing income for the local population.

We analyze some of the positive and negative issues relating to shark tourism, and discuss the political use to which infrequent shark attacks have been put. We also present the research initiatives since 2006 to determine the distribution and abundance of sharks in the GMR within the context of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, and how this information will feed into the development of national and regional Plans of Action.

We suggest that as an iconic marine group of species, the combination of economic incentives and participation in conservation research related to sharks might be used to help create a sustainable island vision in a community which is currently characterized by recent immigrants with a frontier mentality towards its resources.

MigraMar at the conference

The talk started briefly reviewing the shark finning history in the Galapagos and the actual state of fishing pressure and the authorities response to it. Cesar shared interesting insights on the economic value of sharks and its economic impact on the local community, as well as information on charge capacity and sharks attacks.

The presentation ended showing the current trends in sharks research in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, as the third focus point of human-shark interactions.

This presentation was developed as a preliminary results from a project focus on determine the economic importance of sharks for the local population of the Galapagos Islands.

You can download the presentation here.