Updated May 26, 2019
The country of Ecuador boasts the world’s highest abundance of sharks in the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Marine Reserve is the second largest marine reserve in the world and is home to more than 40 different species of sharks, many of them endangered and some found only here. With an area of 51,000 mi², the Galapagos Marine Reserve is nearly half the size of the total land of Ecuador and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In March of 2016, the government created a new marine sanctuary within the Reserve, comprised of some 15,000 square miles of the waters around the islands of Darwin and Wolf. In addition, another 21 smaller conservation areas scattered throughout the volcanic Archipelago were also established. These waters were declared off limits to all fishing to conserve the sharks that congregate there and the marine ecosystem.
Laws & Loopholes
Within the Galapagos Marine Reserve, industrial fishing is prohibited, but Ecuador’s artisinal fleet of fisherman are permitted to fish here. While the targeting of sharks is illegal, the local longline fishermen are permitted to keep any sharks caught as by-catch. This loophole allows local fishermen to catch and sell sharks, resulting in at least 250,000 sharks killed annually.
Ecuadorian authorities are too financially strapped to thoroughly patrol the area and there is often little monitoring of what is being taken by the 45,000 Ecuadorian fishermen. Nor are the authorities able to adequately police the scores of international ships that are illegally fishing in the reserve. There are only about 70 people and 2 boats to monitor the whole reserve. Meanwhile, there are more than 600 Chinese ships in the waters between Costa Rica and Chile.
Recent studies have indicated that overfishing is causing shark numbers to decline, causing a ripple effect among marine animals.
In August of 2017, a massive Chinese ship was discovered inside the reserve containing 300 tons of fish including 6,223 sharks of different species many of which are endangered. This case sparked nationwide outrage especially when it was learned that the shop was part of a greater fleet of 300 Chinese ships. The captain and crew were found guilty of illegal possession and transport of endangered species through Galapagos Marine Reserve. The Captain was sentenced to 4 years in prison and the 19 crew members were sentenced from 1 to 3 years in prison. In addition, a $6.1 million USD fine was assessed and the court ordered the permanent forfeiture of the vessel. On May 21, 2019, Ecuador’s National Court of Justice rejected an appeal of these outcomes, and announced its decision to uphold the punishments.
While the laws protecting sharks in Ecuador are strong and the punitive actions are a deterrent, policing the vast area of the Galapagos Marine Reserve is challenging.
Interesting Information
Ecuador is the first country to recognize the Rights of Nature in its Constitution. In 2008, the Constitution was rewritten to include a chapter declaring that “Nature… has the right to integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes. It states that the people have the legal authority to enforce these rights on behalf of ecosystems and that the ecosystem itself can be named as the defendant.
In March 2019, a new breeding ground for endangered hammerhead sharks was found off the island of Santa Cruz. About 20 animals were found here. This is the second such refuge found in the Reserve.
What You Can Do
Report any illegal fishing activity seen within the Galapagos Marine Reserve.
Places To Dive With Sharks
With the Galapagos having the highest abundance of sharks in the world, it is probable that every dive will be a shark dive. Here are some of the sharks you are might see and the areas they are most prevalent:
- Galapagos Sharks – northern islands and Santa Cruz
- Whitetip Reef Sharks – throughout the islands
- Blacktip and Grey Reef sharks – throughout the islands
- Scalloped Hammerheads, Smooth Hammerheads, Great Hammerheads – Darwin & Wolf Islands
- Whale sharks (June through November) – Darwin & Wolf Islands
- Galapagos Bullhead Shark (rare) – Isabella Island
- Dusky Shark – around the Central Islands
1 Rights of Nature to Save the Endangered Sharks of the Galapagos
2 Shark fin soup and fishing boats: Galapagos sharks under threat
3 Overfishing is a Significant Threat to the Marine Ecosystem in Galapagos
4 When Sharks Have Lawyers
5 Political Database of the Americas
6 Hammerhead Shark Refuge Found In Galapagos