Subject: Galapagos crisis
Date: Jan 26 13:35:57 1995
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu
This was forwarded to me by the UW department of zoology. It's an
absolutely terrifying example (I hate being the one to forward bad news!)
of how no environmental fight is ever won, just an ongoing series of
battles. Some days are more exhausting than others, and here is a case
that needs as much quick response as we can muster.
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Wed, 25 Jan 95 20:09:18 PST
>From: Matt James <matt.james at sonoma.edu>
>To: collin at fhl.washington.edu
>Subject: Galapagos Crisis
>
> Galapagos Crisis
>Dear Fellow Scientists - Very disturbing news is coming out of the Galapagos
>Islands in Ecuador. Those of us who care deeply about the islands are trying
>to bring the ecological crisis described below to the attention of the
>international scientific community. The information below is retyped from a
>FAXed letter I recently received from Macarena Green in Quito. She is a
>biologist who worked on ascidians and is now a naturalist in the islands. She
>can be reached by FAX at Andando Tours in Quito at 593-2-443188.
>
>Please write a letter to the President of Ecuador at the address provided
>below. I will cross-post this several times (to TAXACOM, MOLLUSCA, and
>PALEONET) so you might get it more than once, and please feel free to post it
>to additonal news groups. I can be reached by e-mail, phone, FAX, and snail
>mail:
>
>Matthew J. James
>Associate Professor and Chairman
>Department of Geology
>Sonoma State University
>Rohnert Park, California 94928 USA
>matt.james at sonoma.edu
>voice: 707-664-2301 (my office)
>voice: 707-664-2334 (Dept. office)
>FAX: 707-664-2505 or
>FAX: 707-664-3012
>
>When you read how not only are the sea cucumbers being impacted but also the
>repercussions on the sea lions of Darwin's Islands, I hope you will be moved
>to action.
>The original FAX is retyped below:
>*****************************************
>Quito, 12 de Enero de 1995
>
>Quito, January 23, 1995
>FAX: 707-664-2505
>Attn: Dr. Matt James
>From: Macarena Green
>
>Dear Dr. James,
>
>I received your fax in regards the sea cucumber exploitation in the
>Galapagos. Following you will find some general information as to how things
>have developed.
>
>As you must know since 15th of October of 1994 the sea cucumber fisheries was
>legally opened in the Islands. Most of the activities took place in Bolivar
>Channel (western side of the Archipelago) and principally the west coast of
>Isabela and all around Fernandina Islands. Until the 15 of December there
>were over 800 fishermen working on the exploitation of the sea cucumber,
>Isostichopus fuscus in that area. It was calculated that each of them was
>collecting over 1500 sea cucumbers daily. Besides that these people lived in
>small boats on which they carried live chickens, as a source of food,
>unwashed vegetables and other introduced organisms that if they landed by
>chance on one of the Islands could germinate. It is known that onboard the
>boats there were rats, mice and introduced insects. They were cleaning their
>bilges and throwing all their garbage overboard. Most of them were anchored
>only 20 feet from the shore line of Fernandina Island.
>
>When the cucumber fisheries was opened a limit of 550,000 sea cucumbers, in
>three month season, was established. However, in two months it had exceeded
>more than 7 million. By the beginning of December reports on the abuse of the
>resource went to the different official involved, to the news and to the
>press. There were reports that the fishermen were not only collecting sea
>cucumbers, but sea horses, snails, sea urchins and black coral. Also, one
>fisherman admitted that they had already sent to Japan sea lion penises as a
>try out for a new aphrodisiac. The Japanese buyer paid $50 dollars for each
>penis. The 15th of December the sea cucumber fisheries was officially closed
>until technical and scientific studies were done, due to the abuse that had
>occurred in the first two months.
>
>The people involved in such lucrative, yet devastating, enterprise were not
>about the accept the new disposition. The first days of January, 1995, they
>took over the installations of the Park Service and the Darwin Station. They
>kept all the people inside as hostages, including the wives of many of the
>workers and children. They threatened to kill all the tortoises in captivity
>at the Station and they threatened to start fires on little islands like
>South Plaza and Santa Fe, also they demanded that Chantal Blanton and Arturo
>Izurieta resign their positions as director of the respective institutions.
>It was quite strange to see the total absence of the police and military
>help.
>
>In Quito some government officials said that this time they will not let them
>get their way, and that the fishermen will have to change their attitude, but
>on Friday, January 6 the director of the National Institute of Fisheries went
>to Puerto Ayora and offered the fishermen that by the 13th of January they
>could start catching sea cucumbers again. All the people involved in tourism
>and science in Puerto Ayora got together and decided to take actions in case
>this type of activity started again. So in Quito and Guayaquil the minister
>of Fisheries met with the fishermen and the people involved and after getting
>pressure from all the environmental groups, the association of travel agents,
>the association of ecotourism, the association of tour operators in
>Galapagos, and the government of Spain. He felt in the position to close the
>Pepino (Cucumber) fisheries until October of the present year.
>
>All the groups named above have got together to fight for the same cause. Our
>aim is to persuade the government to close all types of industrial fisheries
>in the Galapagos, to stop all type of exportation of any resource that comes
>from the Islands, to include the marine area within the National Park and be
>managed by only one institution and to make the law come true. As you know
>there is a master plan to manage the marine resources reserve, but it is
>completely ignored.
>
>We have strong reason to beleive that there is someone very powerful involved
>in the exploitation and commercialization of sea cucumbers in the Galapagos
>waters. It seems the Ecuadorian government is doing very little to fight
>against this type of exploitation. however we have noticed that when there is
>international pressure their attitude changes.
>
>If you could get together in the States and write a demanding letter to the
>President of Ecuador, I think that they may think twice about opening the
>Pepino or any other type of fisheries in the Galapagos. In fact I think that
>the same letter should be sent to the Ecuadorian press. The address of the
>President of Ecuador is:
>
>Arq. Sixto Duran Ballen
>Presidente Constitucional de la Republica de Ecuador
>Palacia de Gobierna
>Quito - ECUADOR
>
>We are sending information in regards all this matter to Jack Grove. Please
>contact him if you need more detailed information or if you need to
>coordinate any moves from your side.
>
>It is time that the world demands from the Ecuadorian government the right
>type of management for the Galapagos Islands as a whole.
>
>We need international pressure and demands in order to save the Galapagos
>Islands. We appreciate your help very much. Let us know if you need more
>information.
>
>With best regards,
>
>
>(Signed) Macarena Green
>FAX: 593-2-443188
>***End of Original FAX***
Dennis Paulson phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416