Each year, the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park , supported by the Charles Darwin Foundation and other partners, carries out the necessary investigation to determine the population status of the spiny lobster and sea cucumber in order to determine whether or not to open the fishery for sea cucumber, and take appropriate actions for the management of lobster fishing.

In the Galapagos Marine Reserve, there are several regulatory mechanisms for fishing, which need marine research applied, to inform eventual fishery management decisions, such as the maximum rate permitted by fishery, or closures if necessary.

Sea Cucumber

These are animals that feed on organic particles on the surfaces of rocks and sand, and live in nearly all marine environments, but are more diverse in the tropical shallow waters of coral reefs. They range from near the surface where they can be exposed at low tide, to the deep ocean trenches, where they often constitute the majority of the animal biomass in this environment.

In the Asian market, several species of sea cucumber are highly valued for its supposed properties: curative, aphrodisiac and nutritional. Its price is determined by the perceived "quality" of product (size, spikes, way of cooking, etc.), and their scarcity due to overfishing.

In Ecuador, the exploitation of sea cucumber is a relatively new activity. It began in 1988 with the arrival of Asian entrepreneurs who established their bases in the provinces of Manabi and Guayas. After exhausting the resource on the mainland coast in just three years, these traders moved their operations to the Galapagos Islands in 1991.

	Sea cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus)

From the outset, this fishery concentrated on a single species, Isostichopus fuscus. When the fishery began in the Galapagos, there were no scientific studies on the biology and ecology of this species, a fact that helped it conduct business without any technical consideration of management and control.

For this reason, the Ecuadorian government ordered the closure of the sea cucumber fishery in the Galapagos in August 1992. However, given the growing pressure from groups interested in continuing their operation, the authorities considered the possibility of starting a second season of fishing, so the National Fisheries Institute (INP), conducted a population study in eastern Fernandina Island.

Simultaneously, the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) with support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), conducted a biological-population study of I. fuscus in eight sites in the Bolivar Channel, located between Isabela and Fernandina.

The study of the INP (Aguilar et al. 1993) recommended that opening another fishing season should not be permitted, while the CDF-IUCN study conducted by the CDF-IUCN identified the need for continued scientific research especially in the reproductive biology aspects of this species, thus to assess the status of this resource and establish appropriate guidelines for the control and management of their fishery in Galapagos.

"	With this way of working together based on technical and scientific information, the principles of conservation and sustainable management can gain acceptance in the Galapagos community."

Since 1994, the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Foundation initiated a program of ongoing monitoring of the populations of sea cucumbers in the Bolivar Canal. In 1999, monitoring which began in 1993 was extended to a larger number of sites in Isabela and Fernandina, and the assessment of islands of Santa Cruz Island, San Cristóbal, Floreana and Española began.

Aside from this new program, a mode of participatory monitoring which integrates the main users of the Galapagos Marine Reserve was initiated: the fishing sector, scientists, tourist and management of the province of Galapagos. Thus, the different sectors are directly involved in the monitoring before and after the fishing season, in analyzing data and preparing the final report. The latter is presented to the Participatory Management Board and ultimately the Inter-Institutional Management Authority of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (IMA) as a requirement for assessment and final decision-making on the opening of the fisheries.

This participation is supported by the written agreements between users and agreed upon at meetings of the Participatory Management Board of the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Participatory management also helps users have a better understanding of the real status of the resource and have a part in deciding on their control and management.

With this way of working together based on technical and scientific information, the principles of conservation and sustainable management can gain acceptance in the Galapagos community.

	'99-'02	'00	'01	'02	'03	'04	'05	'06	'07	'08
POPULATION REPORTS ON  THE STATE OF THE SEA CUCUMBER

Red Lobster

The red spiny lobster, Panulirus penicillatus was the first lobster to be identified in the Galapagos Islands. Its main color of red wine, and a maximum recorded length of 45cm total length.

Globally this species is found in the Indo-Pacific and the Eastern Pacific, in addition to the Red Sea and the islands of the American West Coast. In Galapagos, the spiny lobster is found in almost all the islands.

	Red Spiny lobster, Panulirus penicillatus

The red lobster prefers rocky substrates, exposed to the effects of waves and clear waters. They live in caves and crevices with multiple outputs, and is gregarious. The male is usually larger than the female. This species seems very demanding in terms of oxygen concentration, and prefers low light and little freshwater influence.

For decades, the waters around the Galapagos Islands have been commercially exploited for red lobster (Panulirus penicillatus) and green (Panulirus gracilis). Moreover, the Galapagos Slipper lobster (Scyllarides astori) up until 2002 was considered a species associated with the spiny lobster fishery, and since 2002 is recognized as a specific fishery permitted year round, mainly for local consumption or for transport to the mainland in small quantities (10 pounds of lobster tail or 12 individuals).

The species most taken from the Galapagos, by far, is the red lobster, as is often the main subject of research among these three species.

Lobster fishing has been practiced in Galapagos since 1960. During the first decade of activity several fishing methods were tested, including using scuba and traps, although the main method at the time was freediving. However, the profitability of the hooka methods (introduced in the early 70s and in which the diver receives a constant supply of air injected by an air compressor installed on board the fishing boat) makes it the only method used today.

The lobster catch is made by hand or using a hook, also called a Hawaiian rod, most often at night, when animals are most active (although in the early years fishing was conducted during the day).

Unlike the monitoring of sea cucumber, lobster monitoring between 2002 and 2006 was monitoring to determine values of CPUE (catch per unit of fishing effort). From that year, population monitoring has not been performed per se, because it has pretty good growth models.

A technical committee has been formed, comprised of members from different institutions: GNPS, INGALA, the fisheries sector, the Charles Darwin Foundation and the National Fisheries Institute, which evaluated existing data to reach technical recommendations based on the best information available.

Management scenarios are presented to the Participitory Management Board and Inter-Insitutional Management Authority to consider these scenarios and the adoption or rejection of various management measures.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Ecuador signed on April 30, 2001, the Loan Agreement for the implementation of 1274/OC-EC Environmental Management Program in the Galapagos Islands (PMAIG) intended to reverse the process of environmental degradation of the Galapagos Islands, intervening as executing agency the Ministry of Environment through the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park. The latter, in order to ensure the efficient implementation of the program, signed a collaboration agreement with the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) on November 27, 2001 for the implementation of the Components for Environmental Education and Research, which provides for monitoring populations of three species of lobster for two years.

	'02	'03	'04	'05	'06	'07	'08
REPORT ON THE POPULATION OF THE LOBSTER

Monitoring the levels of recruitment of larvae of red spiny lobster.

From early 2005 until 2009, the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) carried out the project "Distribution of spiny lobster larvae and associated fauna in the Galapagos Marine Reserve" with the aim of increasing knowledge about the distribution of red lobster (or red spiny lobster) larvae and improve management of this resource.

This project, which is based on the current program of the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, arises from the need to understand the dynamics of resource recruitment to deliver recommendations to the community to enable sustainable management through revolving use of coastal areas thus protecting larval sources, essential for the development of the resource.

Through 13 collectors located in different parts of the archipelago, the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park carried out a search for different organisms collected (fish, other crustaceans, mollusks...) who support the settlement of lobster larvae.

Conducting periodic analysis to determine target species as potential competitors of the red spiny lobster larvae, and identify wildlife species that serve as biomarkers for a particular weather phenomenon.

This program allows for the evaluation of critical factors in the population of this resource, abundance of lobster, life cycle and sites of major reproduction.

	2006	2007
ANNUAL REPORTS DISTRIBUTION OF LOBSTER LARVAE

This program has counted on the support of:

The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands (CDF) is an international non-profit research organization dedicated to providing scientific research, technical assistance and information in order to ensure the success of conservation in Galapagos.

WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), is the largest conservation organization in the world, founded in Morges, Switzerland, with presence in over 90 countries.

USAID is the International Development Agency of the United States Government.