International fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines. Here, we present a case study that exemplifies how industrial fisheries are likely depleting shark populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. In August 2017, the vessel Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, of Chinese flag, was detained while crossing through the Galápagos Marine Reserve without authorization. This vessel contained 7639 sharks, representing one of the largest seizures recorded to date. Based on a sample of 929 individuals (12%), we found 12 shark species: 9 considered as Vulnerable or higher risk by the IUCN and 8 listed in CITES. Four species showed a higher proportion of immature than mature individuals, whereas size-distribution hints that at least some of the fishing ships associated with the operation may have been using purse-seine gear fishing equipment, which, for some species, goes against international conventions. Our data expose the magnitude of the threat that fishing industries and illegal trade represent to sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean.

The Criminal Jurisdiction and Applicable Law concerning the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 Case

On 13 August 2017, a Chinese-flagged carrier vessel, Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, entered the Galapagos Marine Reserve (gmr) without giving appropriate notice, on the captain’s explanation that he entered the area to shelter the vessel from strong winds. Ecuadorian naval aircraft and a coastguard ship began to pursue the vessel from the internal waters and it was intercepted within the territorial sea. This area belongs to the new marine sanctuary of the gmr, where high levels of protection are implemented, and all fishing activities are prohibited. This incident reflects that, as the world’s largest distant-water fisheries (dwf) nation, much more needs to be done by China to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated (iuu) fishing and to promote the orderly development of dwf.

Tourist Preferences for Seamount Conservation in the Galapagos Marine Reserve

Seamounts provide oases of hard substrate in the deep sea that are frequently associated with locally enhanced biological productivity and diversity. There is now increasing recognition of their ecological and socio-economic importance. However, management strategies for these habitats are constrained not only by limited ecological understanding but by the general public’s understanding of the pressures facing these ecosystems. This study adds to the growing literature on willingness to pay for conservation of deep-sea ecosystems and species by undertaking a stated preference survey to assess tourist’s awareness of seamounts and their preferences for protection within the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Visitors’ perceptions of seamount biodiversity must be studied because tourists are key drivers of the Galapagos economy and account for 41% of the Marine Reserve budget. Our survey captured the attitudes, perceptions and willingness to pay of tourists for an increase in the entrance fee to the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Results showed tourists were willing to pay on average US$48.93 in addition to existing entrance fees. The results of this study support the willingness to develop a multiuse management plan for the Galapagos Marine Reserve, balancing conservation, local communities livelihoods and sustainable tourism. Our results evidence a willingness to support and fund conservation, which is of critical importance to both the Galapagos National Park and local non-governmental organizations heavily reliant for their work on entrance fees and donations respectively. Overall, the conclusion from this study is that, despite limited knowledge, visitors of the Galapagos Islands attach positive and significant values to the conservation of seamount biodiversity.

Instantaneous vs. non-instantaneous diver-operated stereo-video (DOV) surveys of highly mobile sharks in the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Effective management of wild populations of animals relies on having accurate methods for estimating their densities from field surveys. Surveying sharks and other highly mobile marine predators is particularly difficult, requiring specialised methods that can entail a range of potential biases. Recent simulation studies have suggested that non-instantaneous visual and video survey methods may overestimate densities of highly mobile fishes. A non-instantaneous method is one where each point in space is surveyed for a non-negligible period of time, rather than in an instantaneous ‘snapshot’, allowing animals to move into the survey space during the survey period. We conducted instantaneous and non-instantaneous surveys of sharks (Sphyrna lewini and Carcharhinus galapagensis) around Darwin and Wolf Islands (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador) using diver-operated stereo-video (stereo-DOV) systems with towed GPS. We provide the first empirical evidence of non-instantaneous bias and show that the degree of bias is negatively related to diver swimming speed. At a speed of 40 m min-1, the non-instantaneous method recorded twice as many sharks as the instantaneous method. The bias may be as high as 10 fold at slow speeds (23 m min-1) and negligible at very fast speeds (65 m min-1). Moreover, we used GPS data to produce fine-scale distribution maps, revealing high densities in areas of strong currents along the south-eastern sides of both islands. We recommend the use of stereo-DOV systems with GPS and fast swimming speeds for surveying highly mobile sharks, to produce more realistic estimates of densities on which to base management of these species.

Ostreopsis cf. ovata and Ostreopsis lenticularis (Dinophyceae: Gonyaulacales) in the Galapagos Marine Reserve

The genus of benthic dinoflagellates Ostreopsis is of particular interest because some species negatively impact human health and coastal marine ecosystems. Ostreopsis populations from a remote area, such as the Galapagos Marine Reserve with its unique biodiversity, can provide significant data. Samples of epibionthic dinoflagellates were collected from two islands (Santa Cruz and Santa Fé) in 2017. Species of the genera Gambierdiscus, Amphidinium, Coolia and Ostreopsis were found. Ostreopsis strains were isolated to characterize their morphology, molecular biology and toxicity. Three dif­ferent morphotypes of Ostreopsis based on dorsoventral and width diameters (n=369) were distinguished. The small cell morphotype was dominant in ten samples, with abundances of up to 33405 cells g-1 fresh weight of macroalgae. A total of 16 strains were isolated from field samples with subsequent polymerase chain reaction amplifications of rDNA, 5.8S rDNA and internal transcribed space regions; 13 strains (small cell morphotype) clustered in the O. cf. ovata Atlantic/Indian/Pacific clade; and 3 strains (large cell morphotype) clustered in the Ostreopsis lenticularis genotype from the type locality. The strains proved to be non-toxic. The presence of these genera/species represents a potential threat to marine ecosystems, and it is thus important to consider benthic species in the surveillance of harmful algae blooms in the reserve.

Arthropoda; Crustacea; Decapoda of deep-sea volcanic habitats of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Tropical Eastern Pacific

The deep-sea biome (> 200 m depth) is the world’s last great wilderness, covering more than 65% of the earth’s surface. Due to rapid technological advances, deep-sea environments are becoming more accessible to scientific research and ocean exploration around the world and, in recent years, this is also true for the Galapagos Islands. Deep-sea habitats cover the largest proportion of Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR), yet to date, no comprehensive baseline exists on the biodiversity of the benthic fauna associated with volcanic seafloor formations within this region. Closing this knowledge gap is essential to provide information for decision-making for the management of marine resources within the GMR and assessing any potential changes in biodiversity resulting from climate-driven alterations that deep-sea environments are expected to experience. In 2015, the Charles Darwin Foundation’s Seamounts of the GMR Research Project, together with the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) and Ocean Exploration Trust (OET), conducted a joint expedition on board the EV Nautilus. Using Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), the aim of the expedition was to characterise the geological formations and biological communities present on seamounts, lava flows and other deep-sea habitats (> 200 m) within the GMR. We provide the first comprehensive image inventory for the phylum Arthropoda from 260 to 3400 m of depth within the GMR. Past studies on deep-sea macroinvertebrates in the GMR have been limited to voucher samples collected from dredging (restricted to soft bottom environments) or by submersibles (only allowing limited biological sampling). The image inventory, presented here, is based on high-definition video transects conducted by the Hercules ROV on board the EV Nautilus. Images of macroinvertebrate morphospecies were captured, catalogued and identified, thus providing the first known image inventory of in-situ macroinvertebrate species from the deep-sea region of the GMR. We present 32 distinct morphospecies occurrences within the class Malacostraca and order Decapoda. We also report 17 different families, three species that are new records to the GMR, in-situ images of two new species to science recently described and one possible new squat lobster, as well as interesting behavioural observations.