Attempts to protect the Galapagos Islands鈥� marine life from the ravages of overfishing may get a lifeline this week when UN officials visit the archipelago to decide if it should be reclassified as 鈥渆ndangered鈥�. This would open the door to grants to help fix the problems.
The islands that inspired Darwin鈥檚 theory of evolution already have World Heritage status. Now UNESCO hopes the threat of reclassification will shame the Ecuadorian government into taking pre-emptive action, a spokeswoman told New Scientist. But reclassification may face opposition as it could damage the tourism industry, which brings in 15 times more revenue than fishing.
Over the last decade the islands鈥� fishing industry has successfully lobbied to raise fishing quotas and ease restrictions (New Scientist, 27 November 2004, p 6). Now the industry is pushing for long-line tuna fishing, which can snag turtles and sharks, potentially wreaking havoc on shark populations around the islands. Fishing boats even want permission to sell any shark fins caught in the fishing lines.
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