Expedición científica a Paramount: el monte submarino olvidado

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En enero 2025, un equipo de científicos de la Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), el Galápagos Science Center (USFQ-GSC) y la Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos (DPNG) realizaron una expedición de dos semanas a Paramount: un monte submarino somero que se extiende desde los 1500 m de profundidad hasta alcanzar 180 m bajo la superficie, ubicado a 100 millas náuticas al noreste de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos. El objetivo de la expedición fue caracterizar la comunidad de peces presentes en el monte submarino y explorar su conectividad con Galápagos. Este trabajo se dio gracias al apoyo de las organizaciones Mission Blue, Galapagos Conservation Trust, MigraMar y Bezos Earth Fund. 

El Dr. Alex Hearn, Galápagos Hope Spot co-Champion y científico principal de la expedición, explicó que “dada su poca accesibilidad, los montes submarinos oceánicos suelen ser poco estudiados, pero frecuentemente éstos juegan un rol similar al de los islotes oceánicos en los ecosistemas marinos. Éstos suelen agregar vida marina, y pueden promover productividad, tanto al elevar el fondo marino hasta el punto donde la luz aún permite la fotosíntesis, y al causar localmente la surgencia y afloramiento de corrientes profundas ricas en nutrientes. 

Paramount es el único monte submarino somero en territorio ecuatoriano dentro de la migravía Coco-Galápagos: un área de 120,000 km2 de océano que conecta la Reserva Marina de Galápagos con el Parque Nacional Isla del Coco de Costa Rica. Ambos son Patrimonios Naturales de la UNESCO, y estudios previos han demostrado que comparten biodiversidad similar, y que varias especies amenazadas, como el tiburón martillo y la tortuga marina verde, migran entre ambas. Estos animales tienden a asociar sus movimientos a una serie de montes submarinos, conocidos como la Dorsal de Coco. En el 2020, toda la zona fue declarada como un Mission Blue Hope Spot (Punto de Esperanza).

Desde entonces, Costa Rica ha expandido su protección alrededor de la Isla del Coco, y Ecuador ha creado la Reserva Hermandad, la cual extiende su protección desde Galápagos hasta la frontera marítima con Costa Rica. Sin embargo, Paramount quedó afuera sin protección, teniendo el borde de Hermandad a 17 millas náuticas al sur del monte submarino. 

“Es importante para nosotros entender si nuestros esfuerzos de conservación dentro de Galápagos y Hermandad pueden estar siendo afectados por la cantidad de tiempo que las especies amenazadas pasan en zonas donde no tienen protección” explicó Harry Reyes, biólogo senior de DPNG. “Con este fin, logramos colocar marcas satelitales en diez tiburones martillo y cuatro tiburones zorro pelágicos, para poder rastrear sus movimientos”

Aparte de rastrear tiburones, los científicos usaron estereo-cámaras con carnada para monitorear y registrar la presencia de vida marina que habita sobre el monte submarino. “Las estructuras con las cámaras son lanzadas en una línea madre, cada estructura está separada por 200m. En cada estructura fijamos dos cámaras que apuntan a un contenedor con carnada, lo cual nos permite capturar imágenes de cualquier animal que se interese por la carnada. Las cámaras están calibradas para permitir le medición de los animales además de la identificación de su especie. Las dejamos a la deriva por dos horas antes de recojerlas, cambiamos las cámaras, y las volvemos a lazar” dijo María Antonia Izurieta bióloga de MigraMar. “Es un trabajo duro, con largas horas en un bote pequeño, pero cuando revisamos los videos y vemos grandes cardúmenes de tiburones martillo bajo las olas, llega a ser increíblemente satisfactorio” Para complementar el monitoreo, los científicos también tomaron muestras de agua, las cuales serán analizadas para detectar trazos de ADN de organismos en el área. Nicole Bonilla, miembro del equipo y estudiante de biología en USFQ, estuvo impresionada por la megafauna en el monte submarino. “Nos tomó cerca de 20 horas navegar por un océano aparentemente vacío, pero luego al llegar a Paramount, encontramos cientos de delfines nariz de botella a nuestro alrededor. ¡Podíamos escuchar sus llamados desde adentro de las cabinas! Todo el tiempo estuvimos acompañados por delfines, móbulas, piqueros y petreles.”

“La expedición no habría tenido el éxito que tuvo, si no nos hubiéramos aliado con los pescadores artesanales de Galápagos del barco Yualka” dijo el Dr. Hearn. “La Reserva Marina de Galápagos tiene una historia de conflicto entre la pesca y conservación” añadió el pescador local y Hope Spot co-Champion Manuel Yépez. “Expediciones como esta, donde los científicos y los pescadores trabajan juntos, comparten su conocimiento y aprenden uno del otro, son fundamentales para construir una comunidad sustentable en las islas.”

El equipo fue acompañado por el cineasta sueco, explorador y activista marino Joakim Odelberg, cuya iniciativa global Fragile Hope (Esperanza Frágil), se dedica a crear conciencia y fomentar la responsabilidad ambiental sobre los océanos. Una película documentando la expedición y sus descubrimientos está planeada para finales del 2025.

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Research Expedition to Paramount: the forgotten seamount   

In January 2025, a team of scientists from Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the Galápagos Science Center (GSC) and the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) carried out a two-week expedition to Paramount: a shallow-water seamount rising from a depth of over 1500 m to only 180 m below the surface, located 100 nautical miles northeast of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The objective of the expedition was to characterize the fish community around the seamount and explore its connections with Galápagos. The work was supported by the organizations Mission Blue, Galapagos Conservation Trust, MigraMar and Bezos Earth Fund. 

Dr. Alex Hearn, Galápagos Hope Spot co-Champion and lead scientist on the expedition, explained that “due to their relative inaccessibility, oceanic seamounts are relatively understudied, but often play similar roles to oceanic islands in the marine ecosystem. They tend to aggregate marine wildlife, and may enhance productivity by elevating the seabed to the zone where the level of light permits photosynthesis, and through local upwelling processes as nutrient-rich deep waters are diverted to the surface.” 

Paramount is the only shallow seamount on Ecuador’s side of the Cocos-Galápagos Swimway: a stretch of 120,000 km2 of ocean connecting the Galápagos Marine Reserve with Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park. Both these areas are UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites, and previous studies have shown that they share similar biodiversity and that several endangered marine species, such as scalloped hammerhead sharks and green sea turtles, migrate between them. As they move, these animals tend to loosely follow an underwater chain of seamounts, known as the Cocos Ridge, as they move. In 2020, the entire area was declared a Mission Blue Hope Spot. 

Since then, Costa Rica has expanded protection around Cocos Island, and Ecuador has created the Hermandad Reserve, which extends protection from Galápagos all the way to the Ecuador’s maritime border with Costa Rica. However, Paramount was left unprotected, with Hermandad’s boundary running 17 nautical miles to the south of the seamount. 

“It is important for us to understand whether our conservation efforts within Galápagos and Hermandad may be affected by endangered wildlife spending time at other locations where they are not protected,” explained Harry Reyes, senior marine biologist at GNPD. “To this end, we were able to place satellite tags on ten scalloped hammerhead sharks and four pelagic thresher sharks, allowing us to track their movements.”

Besides tracking sharks, the scientists used baited stereo-video cameras to survey and record the presence of marine wildlife in the waters above the seamount. “The camera rigs are deployed on a mother line, with each rig separated by 200 m. On each rig, we set up two cameras facing a bait canister, so we can capture footage of any animals approaching the bait. The cameras are calibrated so that we can measure the size of the animals as well as identify the species. We allow the rigs to drift for two hours before recovering them, downloading the recordings, and then redeploying,” said MigraMar biologist Maria Antonia Izurieta. “It is tough work, with long hours on small boats, but when we review the footage and see large schools of hammerhead sharks beneath the waves, it can be incredibly rewarding.” To supplement the camera surveys, the scientists also took water samples, which will be analyzed for traces of DNA from organisms in the area. Nicole Bonilla, a team member and biology student at USFQ, was amazed by the megafauna at the seamount. “It took us almost 20 hours of sailing through an apparently empty ocean, but when we arrived at Paramount, we found hundreds of bottlenose dolphins all around us. We could hear their calls from inside our cabins! All the while we were on site, we were accompanied by dolphins, devil rays, boobies and storm petrels.”

“The expedition would not have been the success that it was, had we not partnered with the crew of the Galápagos artisanal fishing vessel Yualka,” said Dr. Hearn. “The Galápagos Marine Reserve has a history of conflict between fishing and conservation,” added local fisher and Hope Spot co-Champion Manuel Yépez. “Expeditions such as these, where scientists and fishers work together, share their knowledge and learn from one another, are key to building a more sustainable island community.” 

The team was accompanied by Swedish filmmaker, explorer and ocean advocate Joakim Odelberg, whose Fragile Hope Initiative and global movement are dedicated to raising awareness and inspiring stewardship for the ocean. A documentary capturing the expedition and its findings is planned for late 2025.

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The Galapagos Science Center (GSC), located in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in San Cristóbal-Galapagos, is a joint initiative between Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) created in 2011. The GSC is a hub to coordinate scientific research projects between local, national, and international scientists to benefit the Galapagos Islands and the world of science. The GSC aims at identifying the proper balance between the natural environment and the people who live in and visit the Galapagos.  This work requires scientists from different disciplines. In this sense, the GSC houses in more than 13 research areas based on its three fundamental axes: interdisciplinary scientific research, education through science, and community outreach.  www.galapagosscience.org

Led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue is uniting a global coalition to inspire an upwelling of public awareness, access and support for a worldwide network of Hope Spots - special places that are important to ocean health. Under Dr. Earle’s leadership, the Mission Blue team implements communication campaigns that elevate Hope Spots to the world stage through documentaries, social media, traditional media and innovative tools like Esri. Mission Blue embarks on regular oceanic expeditions that shed light on these vital ecosystems and build support for their protection. Mission Blue also supports the work of conservation NGOs around the world that share the mission of building public support for ocean protection. The Mission Blue alliance includes more than 200 respected ocean conservation groups and like-minded organizations. https://missionblue.org

Galapagos Conservation Trust was launched in 1995 and is the only UK-registered charity to focus exclusively on the conservation and sustainable development of the Galapagos Archipelago. We deliver programmes that fill gaps in scientific and socioeconomic knowledge, fund local scientists, NGOs and community groups, and partner with Ecuadorian authorities. We advocate for change to protect the wildlife of Galapagos, while amplifying the local voices of Galapagos across the UK and beyond.  www.galapagosconservation.org.uk

MigraMar was founded in 2006 as a network of scientists dedicated to research and conservation of migratory marine species in the Eastern Pacific. MigraMar’s mission is to provide the necessary technical advice to support the conservation of these species. The network is made up of 25 researchers affiliated with universities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations in different parts of the American continent, thus fostering regional collaboration. MigraMar generates key scientific information regarding the migratory patterns of marine species and evaluates and forecasts the state of populations, to increase knowledge about these, understand the role they play in the ecosystem, and how best to preserve them. www.migramar.org