SHARK CAMPAIGN

How last year's money was spent

During 2007, GCT launched its shark campaign to raise awareness of the threats to sharks in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). We also joined forces with several other UK-based organisations to call for a ban on the import of shark fins to Britain.

Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, White tip reef sharks and Whale sharks are some of the most common sharks in Galapagos coastal waters. Not only do these top predators play a vital role in a healthy marine ecosystem, they are also a huge tourist attraction and hence a source of income for the local community. There is, however, concern about their current status, with dive guides reporting that numbers have declined in recent years. Since 2006, Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) scientists have been tagging sharks with miniature devices that emit ultrasonic or satellite signals, allowing them to track these creatures throughout the GMR and thereby study the protection it provides. The results are beginning to answer several important questions. Do sharks prefer certain sites or do they move around within the archipelago? Are there seasonal patterns to shark distribution and abundance? Where do females go to give birth? The answers to these and other questions will enable CDF to give the best possible technical advice to the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) in their efforts to protect these species. Much of the work is carried out with the collaboration of the Galapagos fishing sector and other interested parties.

Thanks to our shark campaign and a tribute fund set up in memory of one of our members, the Daniel Gaydon Tribute Fund, we sent over £23,000 to Galapagos to support CDF's Marine Biology Department. This has enabled CDF to add another monitoring site (Academy Bay) and another species (the White tip reef shark) to its shark monitoring project. By the end of 2008, the GCT website should also allow members to track the movements of tagged sharks. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our shark campaign so far.

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