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Galapagos News
Galapagos: Will Alien Invaders Take Down Its Avian World?
Birds in the Galapagos are being devastated by an alien fly species. Will this be the start of a never-before-seen era of extinctions in the iconic islands?
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Galapagos Guides Ring Alarm Bells over New Longline Fishing Threat
The contentious issue of commercial longline fishing in the Galapagos Islands has once again reared its ugly head. As its name suggests, the practice involves using a long fishing line, sometimes several miles in length, with baited hooks at regular intervals. Environmentalists decry the practice because of the high number of non-targeted species, known as by-catch, that are often caught alongside the intended catch–large pelagic species, such as albacore and swordfish.
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Shark Bites Man in Extraordinarily Rare Incident in the Galapagos Islands
Shark attacks are almost unheard of in the Galapagos Islands in spite of the fact that the archipelago and surrounding marine sanctuary are one of the world's last great safe havens for these awesome oceanic predators. That's why it came as a huge surprise earlier this week when a 45-year-old British man was bitten by a shark at a visitor site just off the shore of Isla Sant Fe.
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IGTOA Awards $80,000 in Galapagos Conservation Grants
Last month, IGTOA’s board of directors voted to award $80,000 in Galapagos Traveler Conservation Fund (GTCF) grants to four different non-profit organizations. IGTOA’s member companies and donations from visitors fund the GTCF, which provides critical financial support to those working on the frontlines of Galapagos conservation. Since 1997, IGTOA has awarded over $1 million in grants.
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IGTOA Returns to the Galapagos Islands for Its 2017 Member Meeting
Last month, IGTOA’s annual member meeting in Puerto Ayora brought together representatives from nine IGTOA member companies, as well as various conservation organizations, and local officials...
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IGTOA Launches New Conservation Fundraising Program Aboard Top Galapagos Cruise Vessels
This month, IGTOA will launch an exciting new traveler philanthropy initiative onboard some of the finest live-aboard cruise vessels operating in the Galapagos Islands.
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The Crew of the Chinese Fishing Boat Caught in Galapagos Waters is Headed for Prison
An Ecuadorian court has sentenced the officers and crew of the Chinese ship caught with 300 tons of fish, including 6,600 shark carcasses, to prison. The Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 was detained by authorities about 40 miles north-east of San Cristobal, within the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR), on August 13th.
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Galapagos Authorities Seize 300 Tons of Fish and Shark Carcasses
At 6 a.m. on Sunday, August 13th, the captain of a Galapagos National Park patrol vessel noticed something odd on his radar: a very large ship. Because the waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve are severely restricted, he attempted to contact the ship, but received no answer. After several more unsuccessful attempts to make contact, Pelayo Salinas, an Ecuadorian Navy officer who also works for the Charles Darwin Foundation, and three others, jumped in a Zodiac and gave chase.
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IGTOA Donates $25,000 to Train a K-9 Sniffer Dog Unit to Detect Invasive Species
This year, IGTOA and its member companies were proud to contribute $80,000 to four organizations working on the front lines of Galapagos conservation. WildAid received a $25,000 grant to train a K-9 sniffer dog unit and its handlers and build kennels to house the unit on Santa Cruz. The dogs will be stationed at ports of entry and will help detect invasive species. The following is a thank you letter from WildAid that explains how IGTOA's funds will be used to safeguard and protect the Galapagos Islands in the coming year.
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IGTOA Donates $15,000 to Educate and Empower the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders in the Galapagos
This year, IGTOA and its member companies were proud to contribute $80,000 to four organizations working on the front lines of Galapagos conservation. Ecology Project International (EPI) received a $15,000 grant in support of its efforts to educate and empower young people to become the next generation of conservation leaders in the Galapagos Islands. The following is a thank you letter from EPI that explains how IGTOA's funds will be used to safeguard and protect the Galapagos Islands in the coming year.
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