I had the extreme good fortune of being able to join a trip to the Revillagigedo Islands (Socorro, Roca Partida, San Benedicto, and Clarion Island). This trip was hosted by Ocean Blue Tree, for which my superstar wife Mon Amores is the Director of, and Pelagios Kakunjá, as a way of bringing some of the most influential shark and ray experts together for a two-week trip where they could not only do their science, but also collaborate with each other in an attempt research these threatened animals further and maintain and expand the levels of conservation in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean."Collaboration is key" when it comes to protecting threatened species, and the combined forces of these incredible scientists is the only way forward when it comes to enacting and enforcing protective measures for these enigmatic species.
One of the big topics of conversation on the summit was about how can this ensemble of scientists protect species once they leave the protective boundaries of places like the Revillagigedo Islands. Sharks and rays in the Eastern Tropical Pacific are known to move between groups of islands like the Revillagigedo Islands, Cocos Island, Galapagos, among others, and this is where they are most vulnerable to fishing-both legal and illegal. As these scientists came from Ecuador (Galapagos), Costa Rica (Cocos Island), Colombia (Malpello), and Mexico (Revillagigedo Islands), all places where sharks and rays move to and from, all the data they gather from this trip will hopefully help to enact further legislation to create protective corridors for these species to safely move through.
I could not be more proud of my wife for organizing such an incredible and important meeting of minds to help save the ocean!
Special Thanks to:
Montse Amores, Bruno Macena, Carlos Robalino, Edwardo Espinoza, Erick Higuera, Felix Aguirre, Fernanda Raygoza Díaz, Flippo Varini, Jorge Fontes, Irene Casanova, James Ketchum, Jeffry Madrigal, Pedro Romero, Ramon Estrada, Juan Bonilla, Andres Lopez, Osvaldo Hernandez, Randall Arauz, Sandra Bessudo, Yannis Peter Papastamatiou, Mauricio Hoyos, César Peñaherrera Palma