ecuador

[laurenceh]

i was lucky enough to spend 6 weeks in ecuador recently. i dove the galapagos aboard the humboldt explorer and volunteered on a giant manta ray conservation project based out of puerto lopez and isla de la plata.
this video shows the highs and lows of my trip

YouTube - HAMMERHEADS, GIANT MANTA, ORCAS....ECUADOR 2010


lo-fi (shot with a digital point and shoot) but some amazing big animal encounters, hope you enjoy !

 

[GLENFWB]

I was in the Galapagos first of July...the Manta Ray video is impressive. I thought Ecuador regulated the fishing a little more tightly then that? Thanks for the video.

i was lucky enough to spend 6 weeks in ecuador recently. i dove the galapagos aboard the humboldt explorer and volunteered on a giant manta ray conservation project based out of puerto lopez and isla de la plata.
this video shows the highs and lows of my trip

YouTube - HAMMERHEADS, GIANT MANTA, ORCAS....ECUADOR 2010


lo-fi (shot with a digital point and shoot) but some amazing big animal encounters, hope you enjoy !

 

[laurenceh]

the shark slaughter in ecuador is staggering. in puerto lopez and dozens of other little fishing villages along the coast 100's of sharks are being landed very day. i couldn't gain access to the docks at the port of manta but as that is the home of ecuadors industrial fishing fleet i can't imagine the 10,000's that must be landed there every week.
we also saw fishing everyday inside the marine conservation area around isla de la plata, sometimes right in front of the rangers station.
when we asked locals why this was allowed and why so many sharks were being landed (only accidently landed sharks were legally allowed to be finned) we were told the park rangers and fisheries inspectors were frightened of the fishermen.
at puerto lopez the fisheries inspector was on the beach until 9am each morning. dozens of shark laden boats sat just off the beach (in plain sight) until she left and then the trucks would arrive and the sharks would be brought in, dozens of boats containing nothing but sharks and rays.

 

[GLENFWB]

All I can say is Wow. I had no idea they were fishing sharks to that extent. I understand the need for locals to survive off of the sea. But are the locals harvesting shark fins to export, or are they using all the meat in the local markets?

the shark slaughter in ecuador is staggering. in puerto lopez and dozens of other little fishing villages along the coast 100's of sharks are being landed very day. i couldn't gain access to the docks at the port of manta but as that is the home of ecuadors industrial fishing fleet i can't imagine the 10,000's that must be landed there every week.
we also saw fishing everyday inside the marine conservation area around isla de la plata, sometimes right in front of the rangers station.
when we asked locals why this was allowed and why so many sharks were being landed (only accidently landed sharks were legally allowed to be finned) we were told the park rangers and fisheries inspectors were frightened of the fishermen.
at puerto lopez the fisheries inspector was on the beach until 9am each morning. dozens of shark laden boats sat just off the beach (in plain sight) until she left and then the trucks would arrive and the sharks would be brought in, dozens of boats containing nothing but sharks and rays.

 

[laurenceh]

apparently the fins are shipped to an exporter in peru and then onto asia.
since asia came knocking for fins the number of fishermen has grown dramatically, $5 a fin is the lure of their new career. apparently until about 5 years ago "accidental" shark catches were very rare, now thats the main target. sadly 5 years ago the fishermen rarely had to leave the sight of land, now with the slaughter they're having to go as far as 50 miles off the coast (in little open boats) to get the sharks.

 

[scc135]

OK, I get the sharks, but what about the rays? why catch rays?

 

[laurenceh]

mobela and manta ray plankton filters are used in chinese medicine. also apparently their wings are used as fake fins in cheap canned shark fin soup.

 

[galapagosexpert]

The slaughtering of these beauties is so sad, and we still have a long way to go towards creating awareness, and providing locals with alterior means of making money! The Sea Shepherd has opened a base in Galapagos in Puerto Ayora and is working on some educational projects for the community as well as general fundraising and awareness. Hopefully we can all help to make a difference.

 

[DiveTheGalapagos]

Laurence...powerful video. From the fact that it was lo-fi showing how close you actually do get to pelagic life in the Galapagos to the realities of Manabi. Sea Shepherd has had offices in Puerto Ayora a long time. I had heard about the reports you provided above from Equilibrio Azul who are doing good work in the face of overwhelming odds on the coast. Hearing is one thing, seeing is another. Heartbreaking, but yes, the fishermen are certainly protected and legal 'by-catch' was just a way to legalize shark finning, one of the reasons I was quite skeptical about all the praise Ecuador received for its 'ground-breaking rights of nature' written into the new constitution. Who's going to sue on behalf of nature I wonder?

And with so many villages around the world seeing how leaving sharks in the water is far better economically than killing them, well, could be too late as they apparently even kill the juveniles in what mangroves are left on the coast, so as you said, it's way out to sea for the catch now. And how dangerous is that for the for the fishermen. Heart-wrenching situation that is so true all over the world.

After quite a bit of research last year, seems in Galapagos, the creation of 9 jobs would eliminate the 'need' for shark finning on Isabela...9 jobs! But the fisherman mentality and culture, not so quick to change. It will take financial incentive. Education for the youth is pretty irrelevant without economic opportunity. And besides, there won't be any sharks to fin in 20 more years.

 

[laurenceh]

yes the frightening thing to me is how many more fishermen there are now. we heard that the fleet in puerto lopez has doubled in size in the last 5 years, swelled by poor people from the interior who had never fished before. and i know many are moving/want to move to the galapagos for fishing.