A new hammerhead shark breeding site (Sphyrna lewini) on Isabela Island, in the Galapagos, was discovered. This is an important finding, since this site represents a new “nursery” for hatchlings under one year of life for this species.
A team of researchers from the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park (DPNG) of the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition and the San Francisco de Quito University, made a trip of several months through different islands of the Galapagos archipelago and identified the area.
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These shark nurseries are spaces that, due to their conditions, offer refuge and protection for the development of individuals during the early stages of their growth. Previously, the DPNG would have identified two places with similar characteristics.
“The discovery of these new breeding areas is very important, especially for the hammerhead shark, because it is an iconic species for the Galapagos, but it is in critical danger of extinction. Hence, their conservation in the archipelago is a hope for the world and with this information we were able to include these nurseries in the list of important areas for the conservation of sharks, which is a new protection category of the International Union for Conservation of Sharks. Nature (IUCN)”, says Eduardo Espinoza, park ranger of the DPNG.
Researchers visit these sites on a monthly basis to monitor the abundance of juvenile sharks in the nursery areas, take their biological data and determine the possible age of the individuals following a rigorous monitoring protocol to safeguard the well-being of the sharks and guarantee the safety of the sharks. technicians.
Park rangers place tags to monitor and determine migration patterns that these species might follow and their interrelationship with other areas.
For the first time, the migration of a female hammerhead shark between the Galapagos and Cocos Island is documented in real time
These activities are part of the Shark Monitoring Program in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, executed by the DPNG, which implements a project to identify and characterize breeding and breeding areas for hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) and blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus). , with the financial support of the Galapagos Conservancy, Save our Seas and the cooperation of the San Francisco de Quito University, to gather scientific information that allows the environmental authority to promote management measures to protect these areas.
Seven of the eight species of hammerhead sharks (genus Sphyrna) are threatened: five are Critically Endangered, one is Endangered, and one is Vulnerable. Of the 22 species of angelsharks (genus Squatina), 13 are on the line: seven Critically Endangered, three Endangered and three Vulnerable, according to the IUCN. The Sphyrna lewini It is Critically Endangered in certain areas and Endangered in others. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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