The Galápagos is a wildlife haven. But is that enough to protect the rare scalloped hammerhead shark?

Scalloped hammerhead sharks are abundant within the Galápagos Marine Reserve but face significant threats when they migrate outside protected waters to give birth. Carlos Robalino, a marine biologist with the Charles Darwin Foundation, is part of research expeditions in the Galápagos Islands, specifically near Darwin and Wolf islands, to study these sharks. Despite the species' healthy population within the reserve, industrial fishing operations pose a danger to pregnant females and their offspring once they leave the protected zone. The article highlights the challenge of ensuring the survival of these sharks beyond the sanctuary of the Galápagos archipelago, where they are vulnerable to fishing activities. Conservation efforts are focused on understanding and mitigating these external threats to the scalloped hammerhead shark population.