Sea Shepherd working to protect the Galapagos

[Annces]

* Sea Shepherd Signs Historic Agreement with the Government of Ecuador to Protect the Galapagos


In Quito, Ecuador, Sea Shepherd President and Founder Captain Paul Watson signed two important agreements solidifying Sea Shepherd’s role in protecting marine species in Latin America.

“The Environmental Police have a working unit in the Galapagos Islands that needs to be strengthened. Sea Shepherd has already began to work with the Environmental Police. In the month of June alone, we have been able to seize over 19,000 shark fins, over 93,000 sea cucumbers, we seized a 30-mile longline, and made 5 arrests. We have made a huge dent in the poaching mafias that operate in the Galapagos Islands and this agreement will strengthen our ability to continue to work together towards this common goal,” comments Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director Sean O’Hearn-Gimenez.

In a historic ceremony, on July 4th, Captain Watson signed an agreement with the National Police of Ecuador that will allow for joint operations to patrol the Galapagos Marine Reserve for illegal fishing operations.

Captain Watson also signed an agreement with AMAZNOR, an Ecuadorian grassroots organization dedicated to the protection of the Amazon, in order to aid in the protection of the endangered pink dolphin and the manatee that dwell in the Amazon region. The goal of the agreement between Sea Shepherd and AMAZNOR is to ensure that the river dolphins and manatees are protected from the always-present threat of oil exploration, river pollution, deforestation, indiscriminate capture, and incidental fishing. Sea Shepherd is committed to ensuring that the Amazon pink dolphin does not follow the fate of the Yangtze River dolphin that was declared extinct in 2006.

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* Captain Watson Receives the Amazon Peace Prize

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In his acceptance speech to an audience of police, diplomats, media, environmentalists, and human rights activists, Captain Watson called for Ecuador to be a model for the rest of the world on upholding laws to protect the environment saying, “We now have a government in Ecuador with the will to uphold laws to protect the environment, and we must do everything in our power to uphold those laws protecting both the Galapagos and the Amazon. We can make the Ecuadorian effort a model of conservation for the world to notice and to emulate. A non-governmental organization partnered with government and policing authorities can make these changes with the passion of activists prodding the machinery of government to act with the authority of the police. It is a trinity of alliances that can and must make a difference.”

When at the podium, Captain Watson invited Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director Sean O’Hearn Gimenez to come up and speak, and he introduced Sean with the following words:

“Sean has been our voice, our organizer, and our ‘face’ in the Galapagos since we first arrived in the Enchanted Islands. Most of our achievements have come about because he was at the helm of the investigations, the patrols, and the initiatives. I may have brought Sea Shepherd to the Galapagos, but it is Sean who has planted our flag here and who has valiantly stood his ground in the face of power, corruption, criminal violence, and bureaucratic obstacles. We are proud to have him as our director in Ecuador.”

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_070712_1.html


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