The Galápagos is one of the world’s most iconic marine ecosystems, but the sharks and other megafauna that roam these waters don’t recognize borders. Many species move across thousands of kilometers, linking Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and beyond. Understanding those movements is vital for designing effective marine reserves while supporting sustainable fisheries.

In this episode, MigraMar’s Dr. Alex Hearn and Dr. César Peñaherrera-Palma break down decades of tagging research, remote-video surveys, and long-term ecological work that reveal where sharks go, how they move, and how they use “swimways” through the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Their science helped drive the creation of the Hermandad Marine Reserve—an important milestone for migratory corridors—but the work is far from finished.

Even with new protections, major threats remain. Join us to learn more!

🔗 Follow for more shark science and ocean stories:📸 Instagram: @shark_docs🎯 www.sharkdocs.org

Episode Guide00:00 Intro03:06 Darwin’s Arch to Darwin’s Pillars05:15 Tiger sharks, killer whales & currents29:58 Galápagos as a shark hotspot36:49 Shark Highway of the EPO41:02 Movement variability across species46:30 Protecting sharks from fishing52:14 Hermandad & Ecuador’s debt swap54:20 Sustainable fishing & longline ban01:01:00 Fisheries & management01:09:35 Supporting healthy oceans01:11:48 Shark Count Galapagos App01:14:19 Outro

📄 Relevant Literature and PublicationsMigramar – https://migramar.org/Dr. Peñaherrera-Palma – https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=A09SYrkAAAAJDr. Hearn – https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=96n4YGQAAAAJ

🐺 Sharks of Darwin & WolfSalinas-de-Leon 2016 – https://peerj.com/articles/1911/Acuna-Marrero 2014 – https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0115946&type=printableHearn 2016 – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-2991-yHearn 2013 – https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-02769-2_2

🐋 Orca–Shark InteractionsTerrapon 2024 – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/aje.13342Towner 2021 – https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2022.2066723Ford 2011 – https://www.int-res.com/articles/ab2010/11/b011p213.pdfPancaldi 2024 – https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1448254

📚 Shark Movements & Connectivity (EPO)Hearn 2010 – https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1460-2Ketchum 2014 – https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2393-yNalesso 2019 – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213741Salinas-de-León 2025 – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-025-01717-4Klimley 2022 – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-021-01204-6Cambra 2021 – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244343McKinley 2025 – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0334164

🛡️ Important Shark & Ray AreasPeñaherrera-Palma 2018 – https://seaturtles.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Justificacio%CC%81n-Biolo%CC%81gica-Migravi%CC%81a-C-G_web.pdfNursery Complex – https://sharkrayareas.org/portfolio-item/galapagos-nursery-complex-isra/Galapagos Platform – https://sharkrayareas.org/portfolio-item/galapagos-platform-isra/Darwin-Wolf – https://sharkrayareas.org/portfolio-item/darwin-wolf-isra/Paramount Seamount – https://sharkrayareas.org/portfolio-item/paramount-seamount-isra/Cocos–Galápagos Swimway – https://sharkrayareas.org/portfolio-item/cocos-galapagos-swimway-isra/

⚠️ Current Threats & Fisheries PressurePeñaherrera-Palma 2025 – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-025-01710-xChinacalle-Martínez 2024 – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282374Peñaherrera-Palma 2018 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.07.004Hearn & Bucaram 2025 – https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1484989Worm 2024 – https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf8984

🧭 Regional Policy & Sustainable FisheriesHearn 2008 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2008.06.009Tanner 2021 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104665Galapagos Life Fund – https://galapagoslifefund.org.ec/

Folgen-ID: 1000741029437

GUID: 6c1b372b-5c93-400f-b6cc-92bf7f9b89a7

Erscheinungs­datum: 12.12.2025, 17:51:21