Subject: Galapagos news
Date: Mar 7 17:02:55 1995
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


>Date: Tue, 07 Mar 1995 16:26:32 -0800
>From: Matt James <Matt.James at SONOMA.EDU>
>Subject: Re: E-mail address of the Pr
>To: Dennis Paulson <dpaulson at ups.edu>
>
>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 at law.emory.edu
>
>
>
>
>

Dennis Paulson, Director 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