IGTOA Hails Landmark Ruling in Illegal Galapagos Fishing Case

Yesterday, the Galapagos National Park Directorate announced that the captain and crew of the fishing vessel Fer Mary 1 were found guilty of illegal fishing for protected species within the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). This is a landmark and precedent setting legal ruling as it marks the first time in history that all defendants in an illegal fishing case in the GMR were successfully convicted.

IGTOA is proud to have played small role in this case. In 2013 we donated $10,000 to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's efforts to improve judicial response to marine crimes committed within the GMR.

The fishing boat was captured on July 19, 2011 inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve with more than 357 illegally harvested sharks on board. After four years of intense criminal proceedings all 10 defendants were found guilty. 

Sea Shepherd estimates that 100 million sharks are killed globally each year in order to provide shark fins for shark fin soup, which is considered a delicacy across much of Asia. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharks are illegally fished all over the world to feed the large shark Asian (mostly Chinese) shark fin market.  Shark fins are used to make “shark fin soup”.   What a tragedy that these magnificent animals are being annihilated so that we may have some soup. 

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Matt Kareus

Matt is the Executive Director of IGTOA.

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