Galapagos News

16.07.2025: twelve new whale sharks discovered in the sea protection area of the Galapagos Islands!

A dozen new copies of whale sharks were spotted in the Galapagos marine protection area, the protected area of the Ecuadorian archipelago. The Galapagos National Park announced this on Monday (14th). The new sightings were made by the Galapagos Walhai project, which is made up of scientists and park guards who live on the archipelago about a thousand kilometers off the coast of Ecuador. The researchers involved included members of the Directorate of the Galápagos National Park (DPNG) and the Galápagos Science Center (GSC), which is operated by the University of San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (UNC). They marked seven animals with satellite devices to pursue their movements. Among them was an adult males, a find of "special importance", since "99 % of the sightings in this area are eliminated in females". In addition, a copy (female) was found during the inspection, which was registered for the first time 13 years ago, "which provides the loyalty of these animals to this area".

A total of 758 whale sharks have so far been registered in the 130,000 square kilometer area of the Galápagos sea protection area, a number that has been reached thanks to the cooperation between "Nature leaders, diving leaders, handicraft fishermen and visitors to the islands", which have reported their views all of their life for the authorities. "Your participation was crucial for improving surveillance and protection of this wandering kind," said representative of the Galápago National Park. Jenifer Suárez, director of ecosystems in the Galápagos National Park, pointed out that "these" discoveries over the ecology of whale sharks in the Galápagos significantly expand (...) The information is crucial to make more effective management decisions and to ensure the long -term preservation of this emblematic manner ". (Source: latina-press.de)