Quito - May 31, 2000
Richard Polatty
Recently on the island of Isabela, the Galapagos National Park Offices and the Tortoise Breeding Center were occupied by force. 10 tortoises were also removed from the center as a part of the protest. The fishermen were protesting the quota and timing of the sea cucumber catch (only 4.5 million!) Several newspaper articles and web stories quickly came out that were quite erroneous though. The director of the Charles Darwin Research Station has given out the following clarification. If you want to read the original erroneous article, click here. It is quite amazing though to think that any of this catch is allowed. Personally, I have seen the commercial variety of sea cucumbers largely disappear from the visitor sites. This change was "overnight" from the time that sea cucumbering began and they have never reappeared. RJPCORRECTION TO GALAPAGOS STORY by Rob Bensted-Smith
15 May 2000In much of the Galapagos Marine Reserve local artisanal fisheries are permitted. One particular fisheries, scheduled to take place this year in the months of May and June, is for sea cucumbers. These are leathery, sausage-shaped invertebrates, that live on the sea-bed and are prized in some Far Eastern markets as a delicacy. They fetch a very high price, so decisions related to the fisheries tend to be hotly debated and provoke social tensions. The Inter-institutional Management Authority, which is the Ecuadorian Government board responsible for overseeing the management of the Marine Reserve, recently met to set the quota and other rules for the sea cucumber fisheries for the year 2000. They decided on a quota of 4.5 million sea cucumbers, almost the same as last year's catch. The fishermen's representative on the Authority voted in favour of the quota and some local fishermen accepted it and were ready to start an orderly fisheries. Subsequently other fishermen, including the official representative who had apparently changed his mind, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision. In the island of Isabela they staged a protest, occupying the Park offices and the breeding centre for Giant Tortoises, the terrestrial reptiles for which the Islands are famous. The protest included removing 10 tortoises from the Breeding Centre, an action that was roundly condemned in Galapagos and throughout Ecuador. The Ecuadorian Government demanded the immediate return of the tortoises and departure of all fishermen from the park offices as a precondition for dialogue. The protesters complied. No Giant Tortoises were harmed. Subsequent discussions have resulted in the start date of the fisheries being delayed until the 22nd of May, but the quota and all other rules for the fisheries remain unaltered.
The Government has reiterated its commitment to protecting Galapagos and has emphasized that the law must be respected and that individuals who were responsible for illegal actions during the protest will be prosecuted. The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands fully supports the Government's position. Respect for the law is a pre-requisite for the protection of the flora and fauna and also for the operation of the mechanisms by which local stakeholders, including artisanal fishermen, can participate in decision-making. We remain committed to working with the Galapagos National Park Service and law-abiding members of the local community to conserve the unique and wonderful wildlife of this archipelago.
The following additional points may help to clarify some of the specific errors in the article:
The article has confused information on sea cucumbers, which are marine invertebrates, with the giant tortoises, which are one of the most prominent symbols of the endemic fauna of the Galapagos Islands. Giant tortoises are land, not sea, turtles, and they are quite distinct from Holothurians.
The protests were to influence the fishing quotas for sea cucumbers (Holothuroideans) not hunting quotas for adult reptiles, as stated in the article.
Holothurians have been over-harvested in many areas of the world for more than 50 years and most recently in Galapagos over the last decade. The Inter-Institutional Management Authority aims to ensure that in Galapagos the fisheries become sustainable and that the objective of conserving biological diversity is achieved. It set a quota based on an analysis of available scientific data and of the arguments put forward by the members of the Authority, who include representatives of the local tourism sector, the local fisheries sector and conservation interests, as well as four government agencies. The Ministry of Tourism is a member of the Authority, but fishing quotas are not set by the "Tourism Board", as the newspaper article states.
The article claims that 300 baby turtles were kidnapped. In fact, 10 tortoises (not babies) were taken from the Galapagos National Park's Tortoise Breeding Center at Villamil, on Isabela Island. The center has over 450 adult, juvenile and baby tortoises in total.
No Giant Tortoises, which have been protected by law since 1936, have been harmed. Nor have any sea turtles, which are also protected in Galapagos.
The Charles Darwin Foundation provides technical assistance and scientific information to the Galapagos National Park Service, the Inter-institutional Management Authority of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, and other agencies of the Ecuadorian government, in support of conservation in Galapagos. The Foundation runs the Charles Darwin Research Station which, amongst many other activities, assists the Galapagos National Park Service in the conservation of giant tortoises, including captive breeding of the Giant Tortoises in two breeding centers in Galapagos. The Station also has extensive marine research, training and education programs. Further information is available on the website www.galapagos.org
Dr Robert Bensted-Smith
Director
Charles Darwin Research Station
Galapagos Islands
Ecuador