Rather, they are making nearly 1,400 mainland fishermen, who moved onto the marine preserves of the national park after overexploiting the mainland, wealthy. We've been told that sea cucumber fishermen make more money selling their catch to Asian markets than cocaine dealers make in their trade on the mainland. This is more than a regional squabble and much is at stake. The Galapagos Islands, designated an Ecuadorian National Park in 1936 and a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1978, is home to endemic plants and animals that survive in a fragile equilibrium, dependent for the most part on the richness of the sea around them. Directly or indirectly killing these unique Galapagos species is like slashing a Rembrandt or destroying the Temple on the Mount.
Fishery management is the responsibility of the national park, and it is a daunting task.