Costa Rica’s Cocos Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with unique geography and biodiversity. It is connected to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador by a “marine superhighway” · Andy Mann
Having started his career as a sea turtle biologist, Randall Arauz eventually expanded his focus to many different marine species. Turtles remain at the core of his conservation work · Randall Arauz
“I would come to port and see all these shark fins — 30 tons of shark fins — and I didn’t know how to wrap my head around the issue,” Randall says.
A pivotal moment in Randall’s career was when he stumbled upon the troubling issue of shark finning, causing him to start enacting change in the courtroom to help protect marine species · Shawn Heinrichs
Since the 1990s, unsustainable and illegal fishing practices have reduced scalloped hammerhead shark numbers by 50 percent · Andy Mann
In 1999, Randall was involved in a key conservation victory when Costa Rica deemed it unconstitutional to commercialize endangered green sea turtles · Cristina Mittermeier
Randall was able to help regulate the shark finning industry in Costa Rica by mandating that sharks must come into port with their fins still naturally attached · Andy Mann
“One of the strongest reasons I was able to phase out the shrimp fishery was because we had the full support of the small-scale fishermen. Once they saw that this was working, they all came behind us.”
One of the strongest reasons Randall was able to phase out the Costa Rican shrimp fishery was because he had the full support of the small-scale fishers · Lucas Bustamante
“A big change during my years of research has been the schools of hammerheads around Cocos Island. They’re not as frequent as they used to be. Before they were uncountable… and now I can count them.”
The ETP Seascape faces many threats, from plastic pollution to climate change, but most of all, marine species’ populations are being decimated by industrial fishing · Shawn Heinrichs
During his years of research, Randall has noticed a big change in the schools of hammerhead sharks around Cocos Island: once innumerable, they are now easily counted · Andy Mann
“Having this data will help us to not just protect the hotspots, like Cocos Island and Galápagos, but the entire corridor from point A to point B. These animals know no boundaries, so we need the connectivity. We desperately need to protect these corridors.”
Randall preparing his shark tagging gear aboard MigraMar’s research vessel · Roy Prendas
Tagging is a critical part of analyzing sharks’ migratory patterns for research purposes. Having this data will help protect marine “hotspots” in the ETP Seascape as well as the ocean corridors that connect them · Edwar Herreno
Randall deploying an acoustic receiver at Cocos Island · Andy Mann
“Keep on going. Don’t give up. Change takes time, but like I said, you have to do all your homework. You gotta do the research. You gotta do the policy work. And you have to work with the politicians and garner support from different society groups — that’s how you get tens of thousands of people mobilized.”
While taking part in the MigraMar Cocos-Galápagos Swimway expedition, which launched on May 3, 2021, Randall was at Darwin’s Arch the day before it collapsed due to natural erosion · Roy Prendas
After a career of research, advocacy, and litigation on behalf of marine species, Randall knows the importance of doing your homework and of garnering the support of different groups in society · Roy Prendas
