The oceans are home to huge schools of fish such as tuna and sharks that migrate over long distances. We do not yet fully understand the importance of these migrations, or the role of these species in the marine ecosystem. But as overfishing affects their populations, it becomes even more imperative the need for scientific information that can be translated into policies for conservation and management.

The Directorate of the Galapagos National Park is cofounder, active participant and central part of MIGRAMAR, the leading research group worldwide on pelagic species and migration in South-Eastern Pacific Ocean, whose partners are:

• The Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, Ecuador
• The Charles Darwin Foundation, Ecuador
• University of California, Davis, USA
• The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá
• La Fundación Malpelo y Otros Ecosistemas Marinos, Colombia
• MarViva, Colombia
• Equilibrio Azul, Ecuador
• Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas (PRETOMA), Ecuador

...and whose donors include:

• Conservation International, Galapagos
• OAK Foundation, USA
• Galapagos Conservation Trust, UK
• Swiss Friends of Galapagos, Switzerland
• World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)
• AeroGal, Ecuador

Reason for Being

This research network is committed to working together to:

• Understand the importance of marine protected areas and specific locations therein for sharks and other migratory species.
  
• Understanding the migration patterns of coastal-pelagic sharks.
  
• Assess the state of shark populations in the South-East Pacific Ocean.
  
• Ensure that research results are communicated transparently and on time to stakeholders and decision makers.
  
• Provide local and national authorities with technical recommendations for the management and conservation of sharks and other pelagic migratory species.

 

Sharks role in Nature - and their value to humans

Sharks have inhabited the oceans for millions of years - even before the dinosaurs. In evolutionary terms, this makes them the most successful family of animals and offers us a glimpse of a distant past, and our own origin.

"	Being the top ocean predators, sharks are leading the process of natural selection and is, in itself, an indicator of an ecosystem's health."

Sharks are a keystone species in the marine ecosystem: as the top predators, they lead the process of natural selection and is, in itself, an indicator of an ecosystem's health.

The extermination of a shark species has a profound affect, direct, and in the chain with others in the marine community, affecting also humans and their economies.

In recent decades, and for the first time in history, sharks have also become an important source of local sustainable development, as more and more tourists scuba-dive to see schools of hammerhead shark, or encounter the largest fish on earth: the whale shark.

The Southeast Pacific Ocean

The South-eastern Pacific Ocean covers an area of over 211 million hectares and includes the territorial waters of Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica as well as international waters and a series of oceanic islands under the sovereignty of these nations.

The region is exceptionally rich in biodiversity due to confluence of several major ocean currents: the warm Panama current from the north, the cold Humboldt Current from the south, and the deep current of Cromwell, which flows along the equator line from the west and comes to the surface when confronted with the Archipelago of Colón (or Galapagos Islands), creating the conditions for high biological productivity.

	» Protected areas of the South-eastern Pacífic

In this region, the various states mentioned above declared the following protected areas: the Galapagos Marine Reserve and the Galapagos National Park (Ecuador), Marine Reserves Malpelo and Gorgona (Colombia), Cocos (Costa Rica) and Coiba (Panamá).

Furthermore, and as part of the Marine Corridor Initiative, research institutions related to these protected natural areas came together to recognize the fact that only through joint international efforts can the integrity of marine ecosystems and sustainable use of common marine resources of the region be ensured.

There are 88 recognized species of sharks in these waters, some of which are explicitly mentioned in international treaties of concern for the state of its population. In recent years, several studies have shown serious declines in shark populations due to over-exploitation of marine resources.

Immediate threats

Sharks are particularly vulnerable due to their slow growth, late arrival of reproductive maturity and low fertility rates. In other words, they are slow to mature and do not produce many offspring.

In the South-eastern Pacific Ocean, sharks are now threatened by fishing. Although not an explicit prey for most fisheries, sharks tend to fall into the same fishing gear set for other species. 

	Shark fins seized on Isabela Island, Galapagos.

In some areas, including the Galapagos Marine Reserve, sharks are preyed upon by illegal fishing, interested only in the fins, due to its high price and increasing demand in the Asian market. The South-eastern Pacific Ocean is particularly vulnerable to this type of fishing because of its proximity to this market.

Sharks are caught and dragged onto the boat, their fins are immediately cut off and then they are returned, still alive, into the water.

The primary consumers are found in China, and more than 125 countries export shark fins to the country via Hong Kong. All fins (dorsal, pectoral, pelvic and caudal) are traded. At the moment, a shark fin soup can cost $100 US. The fins contain fibers that give the soup a particular texture and consistency, but do not contribute to flavor or nutritional value.

Its difficult to tell how many sharks are caught annually. Estimated numbers vary between 10 and 100 million sharks.

The need for international solutions, collaborative and based on reliable scientific knowledge

The South-eastern Pacific Ocean is home to large populations of sharks and other pelagics. To carry out effective management of human impact on the population of these highly migratory species, research must go beyond national barriers.

Each country of the region is committed to developing a National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, within the scope of work for the FAO's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, of the United Nations.

However, today, there is little information on which to base national policies and the risk of conflicts between stakeholders (fishers, conservationists and politicians), is increasing, as negotiations are based on perception rather than data.

The program exists to provide reliable scientific evidence in order to facilitate discussion between the parties and allow them to work together toward a common goal: sustainable populations of top predators throughout the region.

Projects and Results

MIGRAMAR at the moment, has conducted four research lines, all contributing to the same end:

	» www.migramar.org

 

• CENSUS OF SHARKS: A baseline of abundance and distribution in underwater dive sites throughout the region, in coordination with dive guides who spend many hours a year under the surface and have a unique appreciation of changes in the abundance of pelagic species. 
  

• MIGRATION PATTERNS: Many species migrate in this region at different times of year. A regional management plan must include adequate protection for certain species in the places and moments of greatest vulnerability.
  

• FIDELITY TO SITES AND KEY POINTS: Many species of sharks seem to show a high degree of fidelity to very specific places. The Migramar network is investigating shark residence in these places and the degree of connectivity between them.
  

• BEHAVIOR OF SPECIES: In places with high levels of residence, we study their behavior: "How far they travel for food? Is it possible to distinguish patterns of movement? Are they migrating to and from these places?

Results of these lines of research are published directly on the website of MIGRAMAR.

For more information, visit: : www.migramar.org.

This program is a joint collaboration of:

• The Directorate of the Galapagos National Park , Ecuador
• The Charles Darwin Foundation, Ecuador
• University de California, Davis, USA
• The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá
• La Fundación Malpelo y Otros Ecosistemas Marinos, Colombia
• MarViva, Colombia
• Equilibrio Azul, Ecuador
• Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas (PRETOMA), Ecuador

With donations from:

• Conservation Internacional, Galapagos
• OAK Foundation, USA
• Galapagos Conservation Trust, UK
• Swiss Friends of Galapagos, Switzerland
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
• AeroGal, Ecuador