Subject: Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News

From: "Galapagos Conservation Trust" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 09:11:19 +1200

Welcome to the Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News Home  | Membership  | Newsroom  | Conservation projects  | About Us  | Contact Us  Welcome to the Galapagos Conservation Trust's e-newsletter... 5 September, 2006 

Dear Mr Stephens, 

In this edition: 

Scientists' Dive in Northern Galapagos Begins a Pioneering Shark Conservation Project 
Galapagos Ecards now available 
Exciting prizes in the Galapagos Day raffle draw 
Parody of the Penguins 
Scientists' Dive in Northern Galapagos Begins a Pioneering Shark Conservation Project 

Scientists from our local partners, the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) recently returned from a trip to the northern part of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) to outfit sharks with various types of tags which will monitor shark movements. This new project will help ensure that these vulnerable emblems of the GMR are being sufficiently protected and managed. 

The project focuses on three species: the scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), the Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis) and the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). 

Diving from the GNPS vessel "Guadalupe River", were CDF scientists Alex Hearn and Patricia Zárate, with marine park ranger Harry Reyes. They were joined by three visiting scientists from the US: Dr. Pete Klimley, who pioneered shark research in the 1970's, James Ketchum, a Ph.D. student from University of California, Davis, and George Shillinger of the Stanford Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (TOPP). 

According to Dr. Klimley, "We were amazed at the sheer abundance of hammerheads around Darwin and Wolf. It was truly an extraordinary sight to see so many individuals in such proximity and certainly provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about these species". 

Between July 21 and 29, small ultrasonic tags were inserted behind the dorsal fins of 18 hammerheads and one whale shark by free divers using pole spears. Submarine receivers were placed in known shark 'hotspots' to record the presence of tagged individuals. The team will then obtain information regarding the movements of these animals around and between these hotspots. Similar receivers have already been placed in Cocos and Malpelo islands by scientists there, so movements of animals between the three oceanic UNESCO World Heritage sites will also be detected if they occur. 

Additionally, 12 Galapagos sharks were caught by a local artisanal fisherman, Tito Franco. Using handlines, Franco brought the sharks on board so that the scientists could insert satellite and archival tags on the dorsal fin and above the pectoral fins respectively. 

Galapagos sharks have never been studied in detail anywhere in their range of distribution. Moreover, three of the individuals were also fitted with ultrasonic tags, making them the first triple-tagged sharks in the world. 

Later in the year, the information from the receivers will be retrieved and analysed jointly with the satellite data to provide the first information on shark movements in the GMR. This data will be used as a basis for a proposal for a wider study with far reaching conservation management implications. 

The Galapagos Conservation Trust is aiming to help raise funds to carry out further work on the conservation of sharks in Galapagos. For example, there is virtually no information known about Hammerhead shark populations in Galapagos. We don't know the actual situation but dive guides believe that Hammerhead populations have dropped in the last decade and illegally fished shark fins have been seized. It is illegal to fish for sharks in the Galapagos Marine Reserve but fishers from outside of Galapagos illegally come into the Marine Reserve to catch sharks in nets, cut off their fins and leave the sharks to die in the water. Shark fins sell for approximately £20 per set of fins. 

Before our local partners can develop plans to conserve shark populations, we need to find out more information about their populations, their migatory patterns, where they like to breed, etc. If all our supporters gave us £20 we could help cover the costs of this work for 2007. Will you help save the sharks of Galapagos? You can do so by giving us a donation (visit https://secure.gct.org/don_gen.html) and by forwarding this email to as many people as possible and encouraging others to give. 

Thank you.
Leonor Stjepic
Executive Director 

PS. Your £20 will only go towards funding work to help save the sharks of Galapagos. 

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Galapagos Ecards now available 

GCT has just launched Galapagos Ecards, a facility on our website that allows you to send your friends and family an ecard using a selection of wonderful Galapagos images - and includes a Charles Darwin stamp! It's a fast, free service that enables you to send as many email greeting cards as you wish. You can also choose to make a donation to support one of the many vital conservation projects in Galapagos. Visit http://postcards.gct.org to send your ecard today. 

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Exciting prizes in the Galapagos Day raffle draw 

Once again this year we have an exciting range of prizes available in our Galapagos Day raffle. The star prize of a trip to Galapagos has been donated by Discovery Initiatives and is sure to be an amazing experience for the winner! Other prizes include: 

an exquisite Cashmere Throw (donated by Oyuna Cashmere); 
2 nights stay at Flemings Hotel, Mayfair (donated by Flemings); 
12 bottles of award-winning Kendermanns wines (donated by Kendermanns); 
an Olympus Mju II Kit Ultra Compact Camera (donated by Olympus); 
a BBC book produced to compliment their Galapagos documentary (donated by BBC). 

You can purchase your raffle tickets online at https://secure.gct.org/gdaypay.html, or by contacting the GCT office on +44 (0)20 7629 5049. 
Please note: Lecture tickets have now sold out but if you wish to be put onto the waiting list, please email [email-masked] 

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Parody of the Penguins 

Parody of the Penguins is a black and white dress occasion to celebrate an animal that does not immediately spring to mind when thinking about the Galapagos - the Galapagos Penguin. This fundraising party will raise money to help protect the Galapagos Penguin and all of its marine neighbours, including rare seabirds, sharks, whales, turtles and sea lions. 

The evening will include special 'booby' cocktails, live music, an auction, and much more. For details visit http://www.gct.org/events2.html#penguins or contact Abigail at the GCT office on [email-masked] or 020 7629 5049. 

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