Thanks to the Satellite Monitoring System for vessels that the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park (DPNG)is now using, a tuna boat was captured.
The tuna vessel Don Mario fishing, registered in Manta, had come within the Galapagos Marine Reserve. According to Ecuadorian press, the vessel had permission from the National Navy to conduct operations outside the reservation.
The DPNG operations center was monitoring the Don Mario’s route, from east to west in the Galapagos, when it realized that the vessel was slowing down its speed at certain times, which is indication that the vessels was actually fishing. Fishing activities in the Galapagos are prohibited to vessels other than legally authorized artisanal boats.
Around 11.00 pm, the Don Mario was located at 10 miles south of Puerto Villamil, Isabela. The crew had placed a fishing aggregating device (FAD) in the water to catch schools of fish, such as tuna, a.o. species protected within the Marine Reserve.
