Taking care of Galapagos Iniciative Lauch

Mayi Zambrano

2 years ago

The initiative’s action plan contemplates 3 main axes,

1) Collection of FADs to avoid affecting the coastal areas of the islands.

2) Collection of garbage on the seabed.

3) Development of fishery improvement projects (FIPs) in artisanal fisheries in Galapagos.

The mechanism of this initiative of TUNACONS together with CNP and ATUNEC and the artisanal fishing guilds of Galapagos is a pioneer in the world because it generates an alliance between two fishing sectors.

This action in Ecuador paves the way for other fisheries in other parts of the world to develop it as well.

This is the original streaming of the event. Remember you can set subtitles in english on the youtube video settings.

video with simultaneous translation into English ⬇️

On Saturday, February 19th, 2022 the “Taking care of Galapagos” initiative was launched in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation signed at the 3rd Ecuadorian Fisheries Summit.

The promoters and managers of the plan are:

Foundation for Sustainable Tuna Fishing TUNACONS,

Corporation of Artisanal Fishermen of Galapagos CORPAG,

Federation of Artisanal Fishing Cooperatives and Organizations of Ecuador FENACOPEC,

National Chamber of Fisheries CNP, and

Asociación de Armadores del Ecuador ATUNEC

Although the incidence of FADs arriving off the coast of the Galapagos Islands is minimal, accounting for less than 1% of the FADs in the Ecuadorian fleet, the aim of this project is to reduce their presence completely.

The communication process will start with the captain of the Ecuadorian tuna vessel because 100% of the Ecuadorian tuna vessels are cooperating with this initiative. The captain notifies his fleet manager, who in turn notifies the project coordinator in Galapagos, who will coordinate with the Galapagos artisanal fishing cooperatives to mobilize a boat that will lift the FAD to take it to land where its materials will be sorted into recyclable and discarded.

This action in Ecuador paves the way for other fisheries in other parts of the world to develop it as well.

Regarding the collection of garbage on the seabed in the marine reserve, it is another example of support to reduce pollution, which is today the main threat to all oceans as highlighted by research published in Nature Sustainability, which provides the first integrated global diagnosis on the origin and composition of garbage dumped in the ocean.

On the surface of the sea, plastics make up 95% of the debris. This is according to a new global study that puts figures on the composition of marine litter. Plastic is by far the dominant material in the oceans. The problem is well diagnosed. The bulk of the pollution is caused by single-use bags, bottles, food packaging, and food wrappings (Article from lavanguardia.com). The process in this action will be to carry out periodic brigades of divers to collect coastal marine debris that will later be recycled or disposed of as appropriate.

The axis of technical advice for artisanal fishermen will focus on the design and implementation of “Fishery Improvement Projects” abbreviated FIPs for its acronym in English. This will allow them to have a clear and updated diagnosis of the current situation of the target species of their fishery through a pre-assessment of the fishery, then a plan of action to be implemented by the fishermen to achieve a sustainable fishing certification that will add value and open international markets to local fishermen.

The national fishing sector has joined together to collaborate in the care of the Galapagos and its marine areas as another act of responsibility for this treasure of humanity.