In May 2021, Only Only members are partnering with MigraMar to support their round-trip research expedition to the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) Seascape. Specifically, the MigraMar team is conducting a multi-stop scientific voyage through the Cocos-Galápagos Swimway — the critical “marine superhighway” that connects the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Cocos Island and the Galápagos Islands.
The goal of the expedition from Costa Rica’s waters to Ecuador’s and back again is to obtain additional scientific information to inform marine policy proposals for the region which will, in turn, help establish protections for endangered migratory species like hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and leatherback sea turtles. These species already face threats such as plastic pollution, noise pollution from shipping traffic, habitat destruction and degradation, and climate change, and while they are virtually safe from being fished or caught in marine protected areas (MPAs), they can become easy prey for industrial fishing fleets when they “step out” of MPAs — a leading cause of the worrying population declines.
The loss of migratory species, especially top predators, damages the entire food web. This then negatively affects coastal communities in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and neighboring countries who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods.
MigraMar’s research expedition team is made up of scientists with differing backgrounds, places of origin, and areas of expertise. They have joined forces to urge government authorities in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia — the four nations presiding over the remarkable waters of the ETP Seascape — to take decisive action to protect some of the planet’s most significant “marine superhighways” and the world-famous sites they flow between.
Project impact
1,584 nautical miles will be traversed by the MigraMar research expedition team over a two-week period
14 crew members will join the expedition, including marine scientists and two storytellers who have received an additional Only One creative grant
8 study sites along a "marine superhighway" featuring oceanic seamounts and islands will be monitored and documented for biodiversity
30 marine tags will be installed to track the movements of fish and marine mammals, using satellite and acoustic equipment
28 cameras in baited remote underwater video (BRUV) housings will assess the abundance, size, structure, and biomass of pelagic fish
The Cocos-Galápagos Swimway expedition launches on May 3, 2021, aboard the 134-foot Sharkwater research vessel. Led by MigraMar, within the collaborative framework of the Marine Corridor of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (CMAR) and the governments of Costa Rica and Ecuador, the scientific expedition also includes representatives from a wonderful coalition of organizations with a unique multinational emphasis. Fins Attached, Fundación Pacífico, CMAR, CREMA, the University of Costa Rica, SINAC, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, the Galapagos Science Center, the Galapagos National Park, the Galapagos Conservation Trust, Ocean Blue Tree, the Turtle Island Restoration Network, Popular Cinema, and the Shark Conservation Fund are among the groups taking part, along with Only One and SeaLegacy.
Why protecting migratory routes in the ETP Seascape matters
From vibrant mangroves in shallow seas to chains of underwater mountains often of volcanic origin called “seamounts,” the ETP Seascape features some of the planet’s most important marine habitats. It is home to Cocos Island and the Galápagos Islands, which have earned recognition as UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of their incredible environmental, economic, and cultural characteristics. These marine habitats nurture vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered species we all recognize: silky sharks, whale sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, smooth hammerhead sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks, green sea turtles, leatherback sea turtles, blue whales, and many others.
The ETP Seascape also yields some of the world’s most significant tuna fisheries and underpins a vital tourism industry. More than five million people in the region live within just a few miles of the coast. Whether they work in fisheries, shipping, or the thriving tourism sector, or simply benefit from all of this economic activity, the health of the ETP Seascape is essential to local community members.
If we don’t urgently protect migratory routes within the ETP Seascape, symbolic marine species that are critical to the health of the global ocean could become extinct before the end of this century.
In fact, the numbers of leatherback sea turtles have already decreased by 97 percent, while the regional population of scalloped hammerhead sharks has been cut in half. The aggregations of adult female whale sharks that visit the ETP Seascape, part of the Indo-Pacific population, are estimated to have decreased by more than 60 percent. Humans are killing approximately 100 million sharks worldwide every year — so we need to protect vulnerable areas where they thrive. Extending and unifying existing and new MPAs would also give fish populations more room to grow, promoting healthy stocks and supporting the livelihoods of artisanal fishers.
It is imperative that we protect not only vital sites in the ETP Seascape, but also the areas of ocean between them, such as the Cocos-Galápagos Swimway. These ocean corridors are popular with industrial fishing fleets that often exploit shark fins for commercial purposes and engage in illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, taking advantage of the lack of connectivity between existing MPAs. Without increased marine protection in these areas, the ETP Seascape may face ecological collapse, and its benefits to millions of people will be lost forever.
Randall Arauz, a co-founder of MigraMar, has long been an advocate for his Costa Rican ocean, from protecting endangered sea turtles to regulating the practice of shark finning to phasing out shrimp trawling — all done through public support and litigation in the courtroom.
With his attention now focused on the MigraMar expedition, following the rich waters from Cocos Island to Galápagos, Randall will once again be using his marine biology expertise to track animals in the ETP Seascape as a means of further proving the critical nature of their migratory behaviors.
Randall knows it’s this data-driven science that will preserve the jeopardized ecosystem and ensure the survival of all the small-scale fishers who depend on it.
More about MigraMar
Nonprofit organization MigraMar is a network of scientists from all over the Americas working to research and protect migratory marine species in the ETP Seascape, a truly beautiful and biodiverse region off the Pacific coast of Central and South America spanning more than two million square kilometers.
Since 2006, MigraMar (a contraction of the words “migratory marine species”) has tagged hundreds of sharks, rays, sea turtles, and marine mammals to better understand their movements in order to advocate for the protection of these ocean animals and of their crucial migratory routes.
MigraMar’s dedicated researchers have published findings that have helped safeguard marine life throughout the Pacific Ocean, and we’re thrilled to be supporting their work.
