Sea Shepherd Arrives at Malpelo National Park
The Sea Shepherd Conservation research ship Farley Mowat arrived today at Colombia's Malpelo Island National Park.
Upon arriving, we found a fishing vessel claiming to have mechanical problems and inside the 7-mile restriction area for fishing vessels.
The National Park were aware of the vessel and warned it, but the vessel, the Colombian registered seiner Lismar, claimed to be outside the 7-mile boundary.
The Farley Mowat came alongside the Lismar and radioed the National Park that the ship was 5.3 miles from the island.
The Captain of the Lismar radioed Captain Paul Watson to request that he tell the Malpelo National Park that he was outside the Marine Reserve.
Of course, the National Park heard this conversation and the Farley Mowat escorted the Lismar to the area outside of the Marine Reserve and thanked the Captain and crew of the Farley Mowat for the assistance.
Apparently, their mechanical problems were bogus. Fishermen often claim mechanical problems as an excuse for being inside a Marine Reserve.
The Farley Mowat spent the night drifting six miles from Malpelo.
Captain Watson intends to search for an abandoned drift net lying on the bottom near the island and entangled in rocks. This ghost net continues to be a killer of marine life around the island. The crew of the Farley Mowat will investigate the possibility of pulling the net from the bottom and removing it from the Marine Reserve.
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