Subject: [Fwd: Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News]

From: "R.Stephens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:43:27 +0000

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News
Date: 	Tue, 05 Sep 2006 09:11:19 +1200
From: 	Galapagos Conservation Trust <[email-masked]>
Reply-To: 	[email-masked]
To: 	[email-masked]

Galapagos hawk
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Galapagos Conservation Trust logo 	  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 <#sharks>
    * Galapagos Ecards now available <#ecards>
    * Exciting prizes in the Galapagos Day raffle draw <#raffle>
    * Parody of the Penguins <#penguins>

  Scientists' Dive in Northern Galapagos Begins a Pioneering Shark
  Conservation Project

Hammerhead shark

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./

..Top <#top>

  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.

..Top <#top>

  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 
<http://www.discoveryinitiatives.co.uk> 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] 
<mailto:[email-masked]>

..Top <#top>

  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] <mailto:[email-masked]> or 020 7629 5049.

..Top <#top>

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Galapagos Conservation Trust GOLD CLUB*
Bales Worldwide | Bernard Chandran | Celebrities Worldwide | Discovery 
Initiatives | Durley House | Eric Way | Flemings | Laurent Perrier | 
Nicholas Moll Design | Quasar Nautica | Rhubarb | Select Latin America | 
The Ultimate Travel Company

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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