Between October 2008 and January 2011, Sea Shepherd paid the salaries of two crewmembers on the floating ranger station Tiburon Martillo. Their job is to keep the small armada operational that is located there.

The Tiburon Martillo is owned by the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS). Due to limited funds, the GNPS is unable to hire all the crew that is needed for their operations, which is why Sea Shepherd has been assisting with the costs.

The Tiburon Martillo is permanently moored in the north of the archipelago – an area that is attractive to poachers due to the abundance of sharks. Sea Shepherd has been contributing to this project specifically because we understand the importance of the ecologically unique, but also extremely fragile part, of the Galapagos Islands.

During all our visits to Galapagos with our vessel the Farley Mowat, we have encountered poachers in this part of Galapagos waters. That ceased to be the case after the Tiburon Martillo was put in place. The mere presence of the Tiburon Martillo gives the much-needed protection from poachers in this bio-diverse and fragile area. Previously, only a few days a month, these areas would be checked for poaching activity. Now patrols originate daily from this base to control the areas around Wolf and Darwin Island.

The station also serves as a platform from which scientific expeditions depart to study shark populations and their behavior. This acquired knowledge will further help protecting these magnificent animals.

For 2010, a donation from LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics helped us to continue the support for the Tiburon Martillo.