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Galapagos Coalition
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Date: Tue, 07 Mar 1995 17:16:50 -0800
From: Matt James
Galapagos Coalition
February 12, 1995
Seizure of Charles Darwin Research Station by Sea Cucumber Fishermen Reflects Deeper Ecological Crisis in Galapagos
The Charles Darwin Research Station, one of the most important ecological research stations in the world, was taken over by enraged sea cucumber fishermen in early January, according to fragmentary reports. Held hostage in the takeover, along with the scientists, the workers, and their families, was one of the world's most famous non-human citizens, the giant Galapagos tortoise Lonesome George, and the other rare giant tortoises kept at the station for breeding and research. The fishermen ("pepineros") threatened to destroy the tortoises and set fires on islands in the legendary archipelago unless the U.S. trained Director of the Darwin Station, Chantal Blanton, and Arturo Izurieta, Director of the Galapagos Park Service office, resigned their posts and sea cucumber harvesting resumed. The fishermen left the station after the Ecuadorian government sent troops and promised another harvest season later this year. Recent reports state that, in misdirected anger, the fishermen have killed 30-40 giant tortoises.
The Galapagos Islands are one of the world's great ecological and historical treasures. The activities of the fishermen pose a grave threat to the delicate ecosystems in the water and on the islands.
The sea cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus), used in Chinese and French cooking and in Asian medicine, was officially harvested in the Galapagos for the first time on October 15, 1994. Around 800 fishermen collected sea cucumbers. Unfortunately but predicta bly, the fishermen radically exceeded the original limit of 550,000 sea cucumbers, instead collecting 6-10 million according to a 1/6/95 Darwin Foundation news release. In addition to the threat to the sea cucumbers, the fishermen, who use small boats, a re likely to introduce non-native species to the islands including rats, mice, chickens, and new plants and insects. Recognizing the substantial abuses, the government closed the sea cucumber fishery on December 15 until further scientific and technical studies could be done.
In response to the closing of the fishery, the fishermen took over the Darwin Station. In response to the takeover of the station and the holding of hostages, the government promised to reopen the sea cucumber fishery by October 1995 and perhaps sooner.
The government has not stated the basis on which it decided to allow more harvesting, or the grounds to believe that it will be conducted within limits and without threatening irreversible environmental damage.
The sea cucumber controversy, which has been brewing for some time, is only one of many recent stories highlighting the difficulty of preserving one of the world's greatest ecosystems as it confronts a growing human presence. This past year, fires set b y humans on the largest island, Isabella, caused major damage and required emergency evacuation of giant tortoises. Scientists continue to wrestle with the enormous impact on the fragile islands of invasions by non-native species such as feral pigs and dogs, rats, wasps, and plants such as Cinchonia.
Depleting fisheries and degrading the natural setting is ultimately inconsistent with the greatest economic value of the archipelago to Ecuador, which comes from tourism.
The Galapagos Coalition was formed out of concern for the lack of news coverage of this important story, and based on our desire to increase recognition of the pervasive and complex issues raised by human activities in the Galapagos. Coalition members f ound out about the most recent crisis when they came across a January 12, 1995 fax sent by Macarena Green, a scientist working on the islands, to Dr. Matthew James, Associate Professor and Chairman of the Geology Department at Sonoma State University in R ohnert Park, California. On January 26, Dr. James posted the original fax on the internet to several newsgroups, and only now is word of this story spreading to biologists.
Why has this story gone virtually unnoticed? To many people, perhaps, the Galapagos are simply a group of islands with a bunch of animals. Unquestionably the islands are far from the world's eye -- small dots in the Pacific, 600 miles west of the Ecuadorian mainland.
The battle over the proper use of the Galapagos deserves sustained attention. The islands and their surrounding waters remain central to the understanding of human origins and our relationship with nature. Many thousands of U.S. citizens have visited t he Galapagos and know their wonders. We hope that news organizations and science writers will pursue detailed investigation of this story -- and of the reasons for the lack of news coverage -- and share their findings with the world.
Dr. Gregory H. Aplet Prof. Marc Miller The Wilderness Society Emory Law School 900 Seventeenth Street, N.W. 1722 N. Decatur Washington, D.C. 20006 Atlanta, Georgia 30322 Ph: (202) 429-2684 Ph: (404) 727-6528 Fax: (202) 429-3959 Fax: (404) 727-6951 e-mail: mmiller@law.emory.edu ```
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