The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) confirmed the arrival to the Galapagos on April 10th of a delegation which will evaluate the islands’ situation. The archipelago was declared Natural Heritage for the Humankind in 1978.
According to British press the islands will be in danger if the long lining fishing technique is approved as a fishing method to be used in the Galapagos. This technique consists of using thousands of hooks on a fishing line that is able to kill sea birds, aquatic mammals as well as the targeted fish.
After this article was published the artisan fishermen associations in Galapagos protested against the British newspaper.
However for the inhabitants of the islands, this is not the only threat faced at this moment, since there are also political interests and a continuous struggle over the islands’ resources.
The fishermen are negotiating to obtain authorization for the artisan use of longlining to catch tuna. They assure that the accusation is part of a press campaign. They think that the campaign has been organized to influence the negotiations.
Galapagos fishermen associations also affirmed that in order to solve these problems, they have started negotiations with the Ecuadorian Government and the Marine Reserves Officials to design a short long lining device with 80 hooks and several measures that could avoid the accidental catch of other species.