International﻿ fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Elisa Bonaccorso; Nicté Ordóñez-Garza; Diana A. Pazmiño; Alex Hearn; Diego Páez-Rosas; Sebastián Cruz; Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez; Eduardo Espinoza; Jenifer Suárez; Lauren D. Muñoz-Rosado; Andrea Vizuete; Jaime A. Chaves; Maria de Lourde Torres; Walter Bustos; Danny Rueda; Maximilian Hirschfeld; Juan M. Guayasamin

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94126-3

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International fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve

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International fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Elisa Bonaccorso, Nicté Ordóñez-Garza, Diana A. Pazmiño, Alex Hearn, Diego Páez-Rosas, Sebastián Cruz, Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez, Eduardo Espinoza, Jenifer Suárez, Lauren D. Muñoz-Rosado, …

Scientific Reports, Vol.11, pp.1-11

2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94126-3

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Abstract

Biodiversity

extinction

economic exploitation

fishery management

international fishing

shark species

Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines. Here, we present a case study that exemplifies how industrial fisheries are likely depleting shark populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. In August 2017, the vessel Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, of Chinese flag, was detained while crossing through the Galápagos Marine Reserve without authorization. This vessel contained 7639 sharks, representing one of the largest seizures recorded to date. Based on a sample of 929 individuals (12%), we found 12 shark species: 9 considered as Vulnerable or higher risk by the IUCN and 8 listed in CITES. Four species showed a higher proportion of immature than mature individuals, whereas size-distribution hints that at least some of the fishing ships associated with the operation may have been using purse-seine gear fishing equipment, which, for some species, goes against international conventions. Our data expose the magnitude of the threat that fishing industries and illegal trade represent to sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean.

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Title: International fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve
Authors: Elisa Bonaccorso (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Nicté Ordóñez-Garza (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Diana A. Pazmiño (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Alex Hearn (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Diego Páez-Rosas (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Sebastián Cruz (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Eduardo Espinoza (Author) - Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos
Jenifer Suárez (Author) - Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos
Lauren D. Muñoz-Rosado (Author) - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Sede Manabí
Andrea Vizuete (Author) - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Sede Manabí
Jaime A. Chaves (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Maria de Lourde Torres (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Walter Bustos (Author) - Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos
Danny Rueda (Author) - Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos
Maximilian Hirschfeld (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Juan M. Guayasamin (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Publication details: Scientific Reports, Vol.11, pp.1-11
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Date published: 2021
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94126-3
ISSN: 2045-2322
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2021. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99571605902621
Output Type: Journal article