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 Guide
00:00 Intro
03:06 Darwin’s Arch to Darwin’s Pillars
05:15 Tiger sharks, killer whales & currents
29:58 Galápagos as a shark hotspot
36:49 Shark Highway of the EPO
41:02 Movement variability across species
46:30 Protecting sharks from fishing
52:14 Hermandad & Ecuador’s debt swap
54:20 Sustainable fishing & longline ban
01:01:00 Fisheries & management
01:09:35 Supporting healthy oceans
01:11:48 Shark Count Galapagos App
01:14:19 Outro

📄 Relevant Literature and Publications
Migramar – https://migramar.org/
Dr. Peñaherrera-Palma – https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=A09SYrkAAAAJ
Dr. Hearn – https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=96n4YGQAAAAJ

🐺 Sharks of Darwin & Wolf
Salinas-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=printable
Hearn 2016 – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-2991-y
Hearn 2013 – https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-02769-2_2

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

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

🛡️ Important Shark & Ray Areas
Peñaherrera-Palma 2018 – https://seaturtles.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Justificacio%CC%81n-Biolo%CC%81gica-Migravi%CC%81a-C-G_web.pdf
Nursery 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 Pressure
Peñaherrera-Palma 2025 – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-025-01710-x
Chinacalle-Martínez 2024 – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282374
Peñaherrera-Palma 2018 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.07.004
Hearn & Bucaram 2025 – https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1484989
Worm 2024 – https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf8984

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