Galapagos Islands: Fishing Boat Detained Inside Reserve Area

According to ElComercio.com the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) reported this afternoon the detention of a fishing vessel, Fer Mary I, while finishing fishing operations inside the 20-mile area of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). Fer Mary I’s enrollment number is P-04-00608 and Manta is its port of registry. Officials say Galapagos sea rangers and the Ecuadorian navy detained the boat at 3:30 p.m. on Monday July 18th. GNPS says the boat was in possession of 25 sharks, 5 albacore fish and 2 swordfish. Records from the Galapagos National Park list the boat leaving Manta on July 8th with nine people, but at the time of detention 30 people were on board, including 2 underage people. The Galapagos Special Law forbids the capture, commercialization and movement of sharks as well as fishing of industrial purposes inside the reserve.Read Article