The IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group
Shark News 14: March 2002
|
Pelagic fisheries in the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve
The IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) strongly urges the Ecuador
government not to allow commercial fishing for tunas and other
pelagic fishes in the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve (GMRR).
We believe that commercial fisheries are a serious threat to sharks, and
the marine environment of the GMRR as a whole, and will have farreaching
negative consequences for this unique World Heritage Site.
Marine reserves are not mere conservation tools to protect the odd
threatened species or habitat. They are critical to ensuring that fisheries
remain productive and marine ecosystems stay healthy.
Bycatch
A major environmental problem associated with pelagic fleets (both
drift net and longline) is the high level of indiscriminate bycatch of
other species, including sharks, manta rays, marine mammals, turtles
and seabirds. Shark and ray populations have been seriously depleted
throughout the world as a result of overfishing, much of which is due
to bycatch from fisheries targeting other species.
Sharks are Vulnerable
Twenty-seven species of sharks and rays (chondrichthyan fish) have
been recorded from the waters around the Galapagos. Most
chondrichthyans are of low productivity relative to teleost fishes, due
to their different life history strategies. Chondrichthyans are particularly
vulnerable to fishing pressure because of their slow-growth, late
maturity, long life spans, and low fecundity. The overfishing of sharks
is of global concern and the focus of conservation efforts under the
FAO International Plan of Action for Sharks and CITES, as well as other
conservation and fishery treaties.
Role of Marine Reserves
Many of the sharks and rays occurring around the Galapagos are
migratory species. Whilst it is not possible to protect the whole
habitat for such fish, the Galapagos Reserve, currently protects an
area sufficiently large to provide significant protection to the majority
of the far-ranging species. There is increasing recognition worldwide
of the importance of marine reserves as a fisheries management tool to
prevent overfishing and habitat destruction. Ecuador will be taking a
step backwards if this protected area is opened to commercial pelagic
fisheries.
There are several good reasons for prohibiting fishing for any
pelagic species in the GGMR. These include: (1) Marine protected
areas (MPAs) can offer important protection to migratory species at
critical times and places during their life cycles, including spawning
areas, nursery grounds or migration bottlenecks. (2) A primary objective
for MPAs is to protect the ecological function and integrity of marine
ecosystems. Pelagic and non- resident species are critical to the integrity of
these ecosystems and interact with residents in important ways, for
example as prey or predators, or sources of nutrients. (3) It is harder to
enforce regulations where certain kinds of fishing are allowed. Full
protection is more straightforward to implement. (4) Shark fishing is
currently banned in the GMMR to protect this vulnerable resource;
allowing pelagic fishing will result in unacceptably high mortality from
bycatch.
Ecotourism
Commercial fishing will have a negative effect on the tourism industry
of the Galapagos. Healthy shark populations are a major draw for dive
tourism around the world. In the Bahamas a single live reef shark is
estimated to be worth $250,000 in terms of dive tourism, whereas a dead
reef shark has a one-time value of $50-60 to a fisherman. Similarly, in the
Maldives in 1993, a single reef shark had a renewable value of $35,500
per year from diving, the same shark dead brought only $32 to the
fisherman. The Galapagos Islands offer some of the world's best diving.
For example, few sites in the world support similarly sized schools of
hammerhead sharks. It is vital for the GMRR to maintain the abundance
of sharks to assure the future of this high value, fast-growing industry.
The ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands are one of the greatest
biological treasures of the world: it is of international importance
that it is retained in as near-natural a state as possible.
|
|
|
|
|
