Paul Watson Fifteen Years in the Enchanted Islands of the Galapagos Commentary by Captain Paul Watson Fifteen years ago today, I skippered the Sea Shepherd ship Sirenian from Friday Harbor to the Galapagos with fuel stops in Los Angeles, California, Salinas Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Puntarenas, Costa Rica with a brief stop at Cocos Island then onto Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. Joining us on that voyage was actor Ethan Quinn. The voyage was our follow up to a meeting six months earlier with Galapagos Park Director Elicer Cruz when the Ocean Warrior stopped briefly in the Galapagos on a voyage between Seattle and Key West Florida. At that meeting I promised to deliver a fast patrol boat to the park to help oppose poachers in the Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve. In December 1999, we delivered the Sirenian for a five year project after which Sea Shepherd donated the vessel to the Park. Beginning in January 2000, Sea Shepherd became a permanent presence in the Galapagos where we have assisted the rangers and the Ecuadorian Federal Police in the struggle to stop poaching. In addition to donating the patrol boat, Sea Shepherd has provided equipment, trained and supplied shark fin detecting police dogs and installed an AIS system to detect illegal incursions into the Marine Reserve. In addition Sea Shepherd provides educational programs and legal assistance to the National Park. It has been an eventful 15 years that included Sea Shepherd crew members held hostage by angry fishermen and confrontations with fishermen who illegally occupied park offices and threatened to kill the tortoises. Sea Shepherd crews have helped to rescue birds and iguanas from oil spills and we have helped to arrest wildlife smugglers attempting to smuggle iguanas out of the islands. Sea Shepherd participated in raids with the police both in the Galapagos and on the mainland of Ecuador to bust poaching operations. Today Sea Shepherds director in the Galapagos is Dr. Godfrey Merlen, who has resided in the Galapagos since the Seventies. Along with Godfrey Sea Shepherd has a full time legal council in the Galapagos in the person of Hugo Echeverria. In 2007, I was awarded the Amazon Peace Prize by the government of Ecuador for Sea Shepherds contribution to defending the Galapagos. When people have asked why Sea Shepherd is in the Galapagos and why have we invested so much money, time and effort defending the Marine Reserve my answer is that the Galapagos is our line in the sand. If we cannot protect and save such a unique and beautiful eco-system, just what will we be able to save.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 11:51:32 +0000
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