Gulf Rescue Campaign Sea Shepherd announces campaign to save marine wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico The British Petroleum (BP) deep-sea oil breach in the Gulf of Mexico is turning into the largest and most destructive oil spill in history. It is a priority emergency and a massive assault on a major marine ecosystem.

New Environmental Prosecutor For Galapagos En Españ ol From May 5 th until May 7 th in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Sea Shepherd organized the conference titled “Criminal Environmental Law as a Conservation Tool in Galapagos and the Region.” During the conference, the Attorney General of Ecuador announced the designation of the first ever prosecutor specialized in environmental law for the province of Galapagos.

Sea Shepherd Galapagos Presents Shark Awareness Pack Report by Director of Operations for Galapagos, Captain Alex Cornelissen With a full page article in the local newspaper el Colono, Sea Shepherd Galapagos has started a project to raise awareness among the inhabitants of the Galapagos regarding the protection of sharks. Worldwide sharks are being exterminated at an alarming rate and it’s time to use whatever means available to halt the senseless massacre. Next to law enforcement, education can give a well-needed contribution on this conservation issue.

Sea Shepherd Receives an additional €1 Million Euros from the Dutch National Postcode Lottery Extra funds to support ongoing project to protect the Galapagos Marine Reserve On February 4th, 2010, at the Goed Geld Gala in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the Dutch National Postcode Lottery not only donated the annual amount of half a million Euros, they also handed over an additional check worth €1 million to Geert Vons, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s General Director of the Netherlands and Alex Cornelissen, Director of Operations, Galapagos. The extra funds will support Sea Shepherd’s ongoing efforts to protect the Galapagos, a UN World Heritage Site. Despite clear rules and legislation, commercial fisheries are still exploiting the legally protected Galapagos Marine Reserve.

Urgent Reforms Needed of Environmental Criminal Law for Galapagos Last week, during an inspection by the environmental police K9 unit, a foreign tourist was caught trying to smuggle a lava lizard (Microlophus albermaflensis) past the airport checkpoint and out of Ecuador. Lava lizards are endemic to Galapagos and are a protected species in Ecuador

Illegal Tuna Fishing Operation Caught in the Galapagos On the night of June 30 th , 2009, the commercial tuna boat Don Mario , from the fishing port of Manta in Ecuador, was caught fishing inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve. At the time of capture, the vessel was 30 miles inside the protected waters of the National Park and had its nets out in the water. Inside their nets the National Park Rangers discovered not only tuna but also numerous other species including sea turtles.

Double Whammy in the Galapagos: Two Busts in Two Days on Two Islands Shark Fin Bust in Santa Cruz On the evening of June 25th, 2009, the Ecuadorian Environmental Police, acting on information provided by Sea Shepherd Galapagos, raided a fisherman’s house on Santa Cruz Island. The Environmental Police were supported by the Galapagos National Park Service and the K9 Police Unit. Thanks to the excellent work of the dogs and their guides, the police quickly found 52 large shark fins inside the house

Oil Spill in the Galapagos, Tourist Boat Runs Aground On Friday June 12 th , the tourist boat Evolution ran aground near Española in the south of Galápagos. The hull suffered severe damages, a large hole under the waterline.