Skip to content 
The Darwin and Wolf Marine Sanctuary, part of the Galapagos marine reserve, was officially opened on March 21, 2016, and many who work in the dive industry, academia, and environmental advocacy had cause for celebration as President Rafael Correa of Ecuador signed the legislation into effect.
Encompassing more than 18,000 square miles of vibrant waters surrounding Darwin and Wolf islands, the new Galapagos marine reserve encompasses one-third of the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands or roughly the area of Belgium. With the creation of this marine sanctuary for the Galapagos wildlife, which significantly expands the 80,000-square-mile marine reserve established in 1998, all extractive industries—including mining, oil drilling, and fishing—are officially prohibited, giving the region one of the strictest environmental protection policies in the world.
Among many other marine species, sharks can be found in the waters surrounding Wolf and Darwin islands, which may be the richest in the entire Galapagos Archipelago. The largest shark species in the world, the Galapagos whale shark, the hammerhead shark, and the Galapagos shark, are among the 34 shark species that are said to reside in or pass through these seas. The whale and the nearly extinct hammerhead sharks depend heavily on the new “no-take” zone. The Galapagos Marine Reserve is essential to the whale sharks’ breeding habitat, as most of them move through it while extremely pregnant.
Establishment of a Galapagos Marine Reserve to Safeguard Essential Fish Stocks and Shark Species
The world’s highest concentration of fish biomass will be shielded from all types of fishing due to the creation of the sanctuary. This area has an average of 17.5 tons of fish per hectare, which is about twice as concentrated as the second most concentrated area known to science, which is located nearby in the Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica, according to a recent study by Pelayo Salinas of the Charles Research Station.
Book your Galapagos adventure!
According to a 2013 study by marine research ecologist Boris Worm, the rate of hunting shark populations worldwide is predicted to be between 6.4 and 7.9%, which is higher than the species’ capacity for reproduction. Sharks face extinction in the next several decades due to their inability to rebuild populations quickly enough, which would affect all marine life. Since sharks are typically the apex predators, their extinction would upset the entire food chain and jeopardize many other species.
Local fishing groups frequently express worry about these “no-kill” zones. Nonetheless, local fishermen in the Galapagos Islands are compensated by the new sanctuary, which the National Geographic Foundation funded. The community has been reassured by experts that the increased reproductive success within the sanctuary will lead to an increase in catches outside of it. Additionally, as long as businesses adhere to stringent regulations, tourism is still permitted within the marine sanctuary, which benefits Ecuador and the archipelago.
