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GALAPAGOS PATROL
Mission: To end illegal fishing activities in the Galapagos Islands.
11/16/00 Update from Tui De Roy
GALAPAGOS FISHERMEN ON THE ATTACK
In the last three days, lawless bands of fishermen in Galapagos - an
island province of Ecuador long hailed as an international flagship
of conservation - have attacked conservation installations, ransacked
municipal offices, torched a National Park vehicle, harassed tourist
groups, taken rare captive-bred giant tortoises hostage, and
threatened the lives of conservation personnel. Complete news
coverage is hard to get, because communications out of the various
islands is shaky to non-existent, but this info has been pieced
together from e-mails received from alarmed residents and by making
direct phone calls to Santa Cruz Island.
The situation reached crisis proportions around 0630 a.m. on
Wednesday 15 November, when the fishermen seized island ports and
posted their fast boats at many strategic locations to harass
tourists trying to visit wildlife sites. Boat chases and other
aggressions were reported against tourist operators who attempted to
proceed with their activities. The Galapagos National Park personnel
barricaded themselves in their headquarters and the small police
contingent (35 men) helped keep the throngs of fishermen at bay, who
repeatedly tried to storm the premises on Santa Cruz, as they had
already done on Isabela and San Cristobal Islands. Police and navy
protection have also been granted to Charles Darwin Foundation
offices on Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Islands, who report that all
their personnel are safe. On the Island of Isabela, the third major
fishing port, the situation is reported as totally out of control,
with the town mayor said to have fled for his life, though no details
have been confirmed.
The fishermen have three main demands: a complete abandonment of the
lobster fishing quota of 54 tons, which they filled in the first two
months of the four months season; dropping all charges leveled at
some of their members for previous violence against government
property and personnel; and an active expansion of the Galapagos
fisheries management to develop a completely new long-lining industry
for currently protected shark within the Galapagos Marine Reserve.
This demand comes in complete disregard of scientific advice or the
fact that such fishing practices are widely known to pose serious
risks to many rare and unique species, such as albatross, sea lions,
sea turtles, sharks and many others.
As threats and events escalated on Wednesday, desperate messages were
received from within Galapagos calling for armed reinforcement from
the Ecuadorian military, with the pleading words "We can't hold out
much longer!" However, according to the local radio station on Santa
Cruz Island, by the end of the day the crisis had eased as the
fishermen were granted a lobster quota extension of 30 additional
tons to take them to the 31st of December, corresponding to a 60%
hike over and above the original quota. It is not clear at this
moment how the decision was reached to grant the fishermen this
extension. In a broadcasted speech, the head of one of the fishing
cooperatives declared the solution only temporary as the fishermen,
emboldened by the success of their tactics, demand substantial
expansion of the fishing activities inside the Marine Reserve, in
defiance of existing quotas and measures.
It should be noted that, for several years already, the fishermen
have been given a decisive voice in the Interinstitutional Management
Authority in charge of the Reserve, under which spirit of cooperation
they were to control the number of genuine local fishermen allowed to
join the cooperatives. In a spectacular failure of this mechanism,
the number of registered fishermen participating in the activity has
jumped from around 500 last year to 939 at present, nearly a twofold
increase, many of whom are recent arrivals to Galapagos. It is
apparently this mushrooming of their numbers, who share the agreed
quotas between them, which has turned the fishermen against the
management scheme they helped create.
The dramatic implications of this latest in a series of
conflagrations is that the fishermen have, not for the first time,
seen their violent tactics rewarded with immediate gratification.
The clear message for the future is that whenever they are unhappy
with the management strategies in defense of sustainable use of the
marine environment, violent action and threats of bodily harm is all
it takes to obtain expedient results.
At this writing (1900 hours, 16 November, Galapagos local time)
renewed violence is already taking shape, with more attacks on
conservation institutions and tourism anticipated for the early
morning hours as the fishermen upscale their actions in a
free-for-all of sweeping demands.
The Galapagos Islands, awarded the title of World Heritage Site by
the United Nations, have been recognized as a model of international
conservation, with enormous trust placed in the harmonious
development of an equanimous balance between human needs and
environmental protection. The focus of these efforts have at all
times been aimed at combining scientifically backed conservation
strategies with the sustainable use of the resource for the benefit
of both the people and the ecosystem. Current events are redefining
those premises to allow short-term greed to rule instead. A show of
force and commitment by all levels of government in defence of law
and order and carefully crafted management strategies, is desperately
needed if the integrity of Galapagos is not to be lost forever.
News from Galapagos compiled by Tui De Roy, wildlife photographer,
resident of Galapagos for 40 years; currently living in New Zealand
but maintaining close ties with events and family there. As is well
known, ever since Darwin the Galapagos Islands have commanded world
attention as a natural laboratory of evolution, unique on a world
scale for their extraordinary fauna and flora. In today's atmosphere
of accelerating global wildlife losses, these islands stand out as a
conservation marvel because irretrievable loss of species has not yet
taken a serious toll here. For example, whereas flightless birds are
usually the first to disappear from threatened insular ecosystems,
the Galapagos flightless cormorant, whose small population of
approximately 1,000 birds is trapped in the midst of current
intensive fishing activity, is the last remaining flightless seabird
in the world. Unlike all other major island groups where extinctions
are already rife, in Galapagos it would still be relatively easy to
safeguard this natural treasure for future generations. I am sending
this to all friends and acquaintances in an effort to let the world
know what is happening in Galapagos at the moment, and what is at
stake for the future, hoping some of you may be in a position to
bring media attention to the defence of Galapagos. I urge anyone
interested in the matter to seek further information and help raise
public awareness in support of the Ecuadorian government's swift and
strong action. I would be happy to answer questions at Ph.
+64-3-525-8370.
CONTACT:
T u i D e R o y & M a r k J o n e s
The Roving Tortoise Worldwide Nature Photography
Mail: Patons Rock Beach, Takaka, Box 161,
Golden Bay, N E W Z E A L A N D
Phone: +64 3 525 8370. Fax: +64 3 525 8370.
E-mail: roving.tortoise@voyager.co.nz
Web Link: http://www.agpix.com/rovingtortoise
Paul Watson 310-701-3096
Sea Shepherd International
Tel: 1-360-370-5500 Fax: 1-360-370-5501
E-mail: Seashepherd@seashepherd.org
TAKE ACTION: WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO SAVE THE GALAPAGOS
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