GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador (31 Jan 2008) — The massacre of 53 sea lions in the Galapagos Islands this week has raised fears that efforts to conserve the archipelago's fragile ecosystem are being sabotaged. The sea lions were found with their skulls crushed on the remote island of Pinta. Ecuadorian authorities have ruled out poaching because no body parts were removed from the carcasses. "We can't discount the possibility that this was a revenge attack for the controls on illegal fishing that have been implemented in the past year," said Victor Carrion, Director of the Galapagos National Park. "Without doubt, this could happen again but we will continue to be vigilant and patrol the marine reserve." The Galapagos Islands, located 650 miles off Ecuador's Pacific coast, were placed on the UNESCO danger list last April, with illegal fishing, rising tourism and uncontrolled immigration listed as key threats to the World Heritage Site. Half of the island's 30,000 residents are living there illegally and tourism numbers have trebled in the past 15 years, reaching 140,000 in 2006. Xavier Romero, who has worked as a guide on the islands since 1990, fears that such acts of violence will continue. "There is a hardcore criminal contingent who are unhappy with the stricter laws. They've been accustomed to fishing as they like and now that regulations are tighter, it seems they are resorting to violence to show the authorities that they can't be controlled," he said. The Ecuadorian government has recently introduced measures including stricter enforcement of immigration laws and it even threatened to ban tourism. | | The deaths of 53 sea lions have reignited concerns over the future of the remote archipelago. Eliecer Cruz, Governor of the Galapagos, said: "For 2009 we plan to double the tourist entrance fee to $200 [£100] and increase the minimum stay on the islands to eight days so that there are fewer short tours which cause more pollution. We are also introducing a mandatory environmental course for all Galapagos tourism workers." SCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
