Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law the bill that bans the importation of shark fins into Florida and closes loopholes that enabled the illegal shark fin trade. The Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation …
Join Guy Harvey and his daughter Jessica as they travel the world to study and document the largest predators and most exotic wildlife on land and in the sea. In this Expedition Notebook look at everyone’s …
Help Save our Seas with a Community Clean Up with Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation! HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Fill a bag or bucket with trash from your local exercise route, neighborhood, lake, or beach. …
One whale shark successfully avoided research scientists for several years FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – For humans, the concept of social distancing is really just a few months old. But for …
Lionfish are invasive in the Atlantic and Caribbean and are severely impacting native fish populations. Jessica Harvey from the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation shares in her Expedition Notebook notes on …
FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – Shortfin mako sharks, the fastest shark in the ocean, scored an international victory when countries voted for a proposal to strengthen the protection of shortfin and longfin …
Huge Genome Reveals Sequence Adaptations in Key Wound Healing and Genome Stability Genes Tied to Cancer Protection FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – The great white shark is one of the most recognized marine …
Already the world’s largest shark species, male whale sharks can swim around the ocean for up to 130 years, according to a recently published study by scientists at Nova Southeastern University‘s (NSU) …
Five green sea turtles that came ashore to nest on Broward County, Fl. beaches in the past couple months have reported safe to scientists with the Nova Southeastern University/ Broward County Sea Turtle …
When you embark on Guy Harvey Outpost’s Galapagos Islands photo expedition May 4-12, you will be the envy of scientists from all over the world. Visiting five different islands in this remote eastern …
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![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and Shark Allies Support Signing of Shark Fin Trade Legislation in Florida&body=Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law the bill that bans the importation of shark fins into Florida and closes loopholes that enabled the illegal shark fin trade.
The Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act, named after the late Rep. Kristin Jacobs, was introduced in late 2019 and approved by the House and Senate in March. Rep. Jacobs co-spearheaded the legislation with support from the <a href="https://www.guyharvey.com/ocean-foundation">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a> (GHOF), <a href="https://www.sharkallies.com/">Shark Allies</a> and Senate bill sponsor Sen. Travis Huston (R-Palm Coast).
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mako3-e1493736606510.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4695" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mako3-e1493736606510.png" alt="Mako Your ultimate dive in isla mujeres" width="538" height="400" /></a>
“Prohibiting the importation of shark fins into Florida is a tremendous first step in protecting global shark populations. Until now, Florida’s airports and seaports were the main thoroughfare for illegal fins from the Caribbean and Central America,” said Guy Harvey, chairman of the GHOF. “We appreciate the efforts of Rep. Jacobs and wish she were here with us to see the results of her diligent work. We also thank the governor for his support and will continue to push this legislation nationally.”
This is a monumental victory for shark conservation advocates in North America since Florida is currently the number one hub for the sale, import and transport of ill-gotten shark fins. Researchers from Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) <a href="https://cnso.nova.edu/ghri/index.html">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> (GHRI) determined that fins from upward of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16972875">73 million</a> sharks end up in the global market annually. The high demand for shark fins in Asia fuels the global shark fin trade, with a large portion of the fins harvested illegally.
”I am grateful that the Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act is now a part of Florida law and moves our state in the right direction of putting an end to the ecologically harmful and morally repugnant practice of illegal shark finning,” said Senator Hutson.
The law finally puts an end to a long list of regulations and loopholes that prevented the proper enforcement of the Florida shark finning ban, which was implemented in 2012. These loopholes allowed Florida ports to become a major hub for the transport of illegal shark fins to China and other Asian countries where the price for shark fins exceeds normal market prices.
“State fin bans have paved the way to make a campaign for a national fin ban a possibility,” says Stefanie Brendl, executive director of Shark Allies. “And the state of Florida has been a key component of a movement towards ending the fin trade in the U.S. While a nationwide ban is the ultimate goal, it is uncertain when that will become a reality, and whether that effort will have to come with exemptions and concessions, as most federal acts do. Having state AND federal legislation in place assures that sharks receive protection sooner, rather than later. There simply is no reason why Florida ports needed to keep allowing fin shipments in hopes that national legislation would eventually fix the problem. Local action matters. It is the pathway to national action.”
About the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation: The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at conserving the marine environment. The GHOF also funds affiliated researchers working to better understand our ocean ecosystem and educators helping to foster the next era of marine conservationists. The GHOF will help ensure that future generations can enjoy and benefit from a properly balanced ocean ecosystem. <a href="http://www.GHOF.org">www.GHOF.org</a>
About NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute: Established in 1999, NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) is a collaboration between the renowned marine artist, scientist and explorer, Dr. Guy Harvey, and Nova Southeastern University’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences. The mission of NSU’s GHRI is to provide the scientific information necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the world’s marine fishes and their ecosystems. It is one of only a handful of private organizations dedicated exclusively to the science-based conservation of marine fish populations and biodiversity. The research, education and outreach activities of NSU’s GHRI are supported by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Intradeco, extramural research grants, philanthropic donations by private businesses and individuals and NSU. Please visit <a href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/index.html">nova.edu/ocean/ghri/index.html</a> for more information.
About Shark Allies: Shark Allies is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of sharks and rays by focusing on taking action, raising awareness, and guiding initiatives that reduce the destructive overfishing of sharks. The organization has deep roots in shark fin trade legislation, creating the first of its kind in Hawaii in 2010, and many to follow. <a href="http://www.sharkallies.com">www.sharkallies.com</a>
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![](mailto:?subject=Celebrate Independence Day by Looking after your Environment&body=
Help Save our Seas with a Community Clean Up with Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Fill a bag or bucket with trash from your local exercise route, neighborhood, lake, or beach.
Take a picture and post it between July 4th and July 11th.
Tag us @DrGuyHarvey and hashtag #GHCleanup2020 #GHOF
Automatically enter to win raffle prizes
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GHOF-4th-of-July.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5565" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GHOF-4th-of-July.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="1080" /></a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/celebrate-independence-day-by-looking-after-your-environment/){kind=link}
, the treaty that governs international wildlife trade. Mako sharks had not previously been protected under CITES.
Shortfin makos are captured mainly as bycatch in other offshore fisheries but kept for their high value meat and fins. The biology and migration patterns of this species, also coincidentally the athletics mascot of Nova Southeastern University, is a major topic of study by researchers from the university’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI). A 2017 collaborative study by the GHRI, the University of Rhode Island and other colleagues highlighted that the fishing mortality rate of shortfin makos in the western North Atlantic was 10 times higher than previously estimated from catches reported by fishermen. The new data suggested that this ocean apex predator is experiencing overfishing, raising serious concerns about whether the current levels of fishery catches in the North Atlantic are sustainable.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Makoit.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5412" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Makoit.png" alt="" width="1880" height="1494" /></a>
“The CITES listing is a significant step in helping protect these animals,” said Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., director of the GHRI and professor at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. “We’ve been studying mako sharks for many years, and have seen first-hand from our tracking studies the excessive exploitation this species is experiencing in the western North Atlantic Ocean.”
Under the just ratified CITES Appendix II listing, mako shark products can’t be traded across international borders unless it can be shown by the exporting country that mako fishing isn’t threaten their chances for survival.
“This increased protection for mako sharks is much needed,” said Greg Jacoski, executive director of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which helped fund NSU’s GHRI study. “Mako sharks are very important, both ecologically and economically, and their population cannot keep up with the current rate of removal.”
The decline of mako populations is traced to overfishing of young makos, which impacts reproductive rates, and from the natural deaths of mature females over the last 30 years. According to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas shark species group, the mako population would continue to decline until at least 2035, even it fishing of the species ceased immediately.
The closest relative to the great white shark, makos are the cheetahs of the shark species. As the fastest species of sharks, makos can swim up to 60 mph.
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About NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute: Established in 1999, the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) is a collaboration between the renowned marine artist, scientist and explorer, Dr. Guy Harvey, and Nova Southeastern University. The mission of NSU’s GHRI is to provide the scientific information necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the world’s marine fishes and their ecosystems. The institute is one of only a handful of private organizations dedicated exclusively to the science-based conservation of marine fish populations and biodiversity. The research, education and outreach activities of NSU’s GHRI are supported by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, AFTCO Inc., extramural research grants, philanthropic donations by private businesses and individuals, and NSU. Please visit http://cnso.nova.edu/ghri for more information.
About the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation: The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at conserving the marine environment. The GHOF also funds affiliated researchers working to better understand our ocean ecosystem and educators helping to foster the next era of marine conservationists. The GHOF will help ensure that future generations can enjoy and benefit from a properly balanced ocean ecosystem. www.GHOF.org https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/worlds-fastest-shark-nets-international-win/){kind=link}
 and diving to nearly 4,000 foot depths. Great whites are also a big conservation concern given their relatively low numbers in the world’s oceans.
In a major scientific step to understand the biology of this iconic apex predator and sharks in general, the entire genome of the white shark has now been decoded in detail.
A team led by scientists from Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center and Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI), Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Monterey Bay Aquarium, completed the white shark genome and compared it to genomes from a variety of other vertebrates, including the giant whale shark and humans.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/GW-Shark-NSU-Research-.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5298" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/GW-Shark-NSU-Research--300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a>Photo by Byron Dilkes and Danah Divers
The findings are reported in the ‘Latest Articles’ section of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Decoding the white shark’s genome revealed not only its huge size – one-and-a-half times the size of the human genome – but also a plethora of genetic changes that could be behind the evolutionary success of large-bodied and long-lived sharks.
The researchers found striking occurrences of specific DNA sequence changes indicating molecular adaptation (also known as positive selection) in numerous genes with important roles in maintaining genome stability ¬¬- the genetic defense mechanisms that counteract the accumulation of damage to a species’ DNA, thereby preserving the integrity of the genome.
These adaptive sequence changes were found in genes intimately tied to DNA repair, DNA damage response, and DNA damage tolerance, among other genes. The opposite phenomenon, genome instability, which results from accumulated DNA damage, is well known to predispose humans to numerous cancers and age-related diseases.
“Not only were there a surprisingly high number of genome stability genes that contained these adaptive changes, but there was also an enrichment of several of these genes, highlighting the importance of this genetic fine-tuning in the white shark,” said Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., director of NSU’s Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center and GHRI. Shivji co-led the study with Michael Stanhope, Ph.D., of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Also notable was that the white shark genome contained a very high number of “jumping genes” or transposons, and in this case a specific type, known as LINEs. In fact this is one of the highest proportions of LINEs (nearly 30%) discovered in vertebrates so far.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/GW-Shark-NSU-Resaerch-Image.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5299" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/GW-Shark-NSU-Resaerch-Image-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /></a>Byron Dilkes and Danah Divers
“These LINEs are known to cause genome instability by creating double stranded breaks in DNA,” said Stanhope. “It’s plausible that this proliferation of LINEs in the white shark genome could represent a strong selective agent for the evolution of efficient DNA repair mechanisms, and is reflected in the positive selection and enrichment of so many genome stability genes.”
The international research team, which also included scientists from California State University, Monterey Bay, Clemson University, University of Porto, Portugal, and the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, Russia, also found that many of the same genome stability genes in the white shark were also under positive selection and enriched in the huge-bodied, long-lived whale shark.
The discovery that the whale shark also had these key genome stability adaptations was significant because theoretically, the risk of developing cancer should increase with both the number of cells (large bodies) and an organism’s lifespan - there is statistical support for a positive relationship of body size and cancer risk within a species. Interestingly, this does not tend to hold up across species.
Contrary to expectations, very large-bodied animals do not get cancer more often than humans, suggesting they have evolved superior cancer-protective abilities. The genetic innovations discovered in genome stability genes in the white and whale shark could be adaptations facilitating the evolution of their large bodies and long lifespans.
“Decoding the white shark genome is providing science with a new set of keys to unlock lingering mysteries about these feared and misunderstood predators - why sharks have thrived for some 500 million years, longer than almost any vertebrate on earth” said Dr. Salvador Jorgensen, a Senior Research Scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who co-authored the study.
But the innovations did not end there.
The shark genomes revealed other intriguing evolutionary adaptations in genes linked to wound healing pathways. Sharks are known for their impressively rapid wound healing.
“We found positive selection and gene content enrichments involving several genes tied to some of the most fundamental pathways in wound healing, including in a key blood clotting gene,” said Stanhope. “These adaptations involving wound healing genes may underlie the vaunted ability of sharks to heal efficiently from even large wounds.”
The researchers say they have just explored the “tip of the iceberg” with respect to the white shark genome.
“Genome instability is a very important issue in many serious human diseases; now we find that nature has developed clever strategies to maintain the stability of genomes in these large-bodied, long-lived sharks,” said Shivji. “There’s still tons to be learned from these evolutionary marvels, including information that will potentially be useful to fight cancer and age-related diseases, and improve wound healing treatments in humans, as we uncover how these animals do it.”
Decoding the white shark genome will also assist with the conservation of this and related sharks, many of which have rapidly declining populations due to overfishing,” said Steven O’Brien, a conservation geneticist at NSU, who co-conceived this study. “The genome data will be a great asset for understanding white shark population dynamics to better conserve this amazing species that has captured the imagination of so many.”
This research was funded by NSU’s Save Our Seas Foundation, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, the Hai Stiftung/Shark Foundation, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and in-kind support from Illumina, Inc., and Dovetail Genomics. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/great-white-shark-genome-decoded/){kind=link}
 <a href="https://cnso.nova.edu/ghri/index.html">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> (GHRI) and collaborators from the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme.
The research on whale shark aging growth dynamics, published in the Marine and Freshwater Research Journal, was conducted in the Republic of Maldives using a unique approach.
According to Cameron Perry, the first author of the scientific paper, and at the time a graduate student at NSU’s GHRI, “What makes this a novel approach is that we took repeated noninvasive underwater measurements of live sharks over the course of a decade.
“Up to now, such aging and growth research has required obtaining vertebrae from dead whale sharks and counting growth rings, analogous to counting tree rings, to determine age. Our work shows that we can obtain age and growth information without relying on dead sharks captured in fisheries. That is a big deal.”
You can read the full study <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/MF/MF17393">ONLINE</a>.
According to the research study, “Comparing length-measurement methods and estimating growth parameters of free-swimming whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) near the South Ari Atoll, Maldives,” taking repeated measurement of the same sharks over many years was possible because many of these sharks came back to the same place every one to two years, and individuals could be recognized by their unique spot patterns. The researchers then modeled their measurement results and found that:
• male whale sharks can live as long as 130 years (that means some whale sharks swimming the world’s oceans today were born when Grover Cleveland was President of the United States);
• whale sharks may grow as large as 61.7 feet on average, which is longer and bigger than previously believed (nearly 17 feet longer than a school bus.)
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/WhaleSharks__2-Zozi-2017_02_16-20_46_24-UTC.jpg"><img class="wp-image-5122 size-medium" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/WhaleSharks__2-Zozi-2017_02_16-20_46_24-UTC-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a>Photo by George Schellenger
“Growth and reproduction of whale sharks, which are endangered in many places, are poorly understood,” said Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., director of NSU’s GHRI. “When you couple this lack of knowledge with the fact that whale shark products such as fins, meat and oil are highly valuable – they are harvested in many countries – one can quickly see the urgency in learning as much as possible in order to help save these majestic creatures.”
Perry agreed.
“The more we learn about these animals, their growth dynamics, where they go, what areas may be their nurseries, it can lead to a better understanding of their life history, which is imperative to guide conservation efforts,” he said.
Primarily funded by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, NSU’s GHRI works on initiatives and studies to provide the necessary information to better understand, conserve, monitor and effectively manage shark populations.
About NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute: Established in 1999, the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) is a collaboration between the renowned marine artist, scientist and explorer, Dr. Guy Harvey, and Nova Southeastern University. The mission of NSU’s GHRI is to provide the scientific information necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the world’s marine fishes and their ecosystems. The institute is one of only a handful of private organizations dedicated exclusively to the science-based conservation of marine fish populations and biodiversity. The research, education and outreach activities of NSU’s GHRI are supported by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, AFTCO Inc., extramural research grants, philanthropic donations by private businesses and individuals, and NSU. Please visit http://cnso.nova.edu/ghri for more information.
About the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation: The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at conserving the marine environment. The GHOF also funds affiliated researchers working to better understand our ocean ecosystem and educators helping to foster the next era of marine conservationists. The GHOF will help ensure that future generations can enjoy and benefit from a properly balanced ocean ecosystem. Please visit www.GHOF.org for more information.
PHOTO CREDITS: Daniel Bruehlmann (Laser measurement); George Schellenger (Whale Shark opens mouth) https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/novel-approach-studies-whale-shark-ages-the-best-way-while-they-are-swimming/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Tagged Sea Turtles Reporting Safe After Irma&body=Five green sea turtles that came ashore to nest on Broward County, Fl. beaches in the past couple months have reported safe to scientists with the Nova Southeastern University/ Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Dr. Derek Burkholder-- a research scientist at NSU's Guy Harvey Research Institute who heads the program--and colleague Glenn Goodwin, a Nova PhD student, glued satellite tags to the animals' shells after they completed depositing their eggs and were returning to the ocean. The tags beam the turtles' locations every time they surface, which is downloaded to the scientists' computers. The study subjects have kept in touch ever since-- even in the thick of Irma's onslaught.
"Everybody sought out deeper water or at least moved away from where things were rough," Goodwin wrote in an email. "Afterward, everyone returned to their normal areas, except Therese who wandered around, then ended up near Key West."
The tags usually transmit for about a year-- time enough for the scientists to try to solve several mysteries that are key to conserving the threatened and endangered reptiles: where do green and loggerhead turtles come from to nest in South Florida; how frequently do they come here; and where do they go between nesting events. Genetic samples taken during tagging will show whether sea turtle populations along the U.S. east coast are linked.
"We don't know what this population does when it leaves here," Burkholder said. "This project is to learn where they end up: who's going where and who's playing with who."
That information is vital to sea turtle conservation, Burkholder said, because it informs management decisions at the state, regional and federal levels, such as whether the animals are nesting and travelling through areas with high fishing and boating pressure that might warrant additional regulations.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Therese20170910-Irma-002-e1507034887821.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4915" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Therese20170910-Irma-002-e1507034887821.png" alt="" width="711" height="400" /></a>
"Giving them the protection they need when they need it and where they need it," Goodwin said.
In addition to the five with satellite tags, seven others were implanted with internal chips and wear external tags so that divers and anglers who encounter them can report their locations.
While the animals handled Irma just fine, their nests on Broward beaches did not; over half were swept away by winds and waves. Fortunately, it happened late in the nesting season rather than the mid-summer peak.
Broward County's Sea Turtle Conservation program has been in operation for 28 years -- focused primarily on monitoring and protecting nests from various threats and gauging hatching success. So far this season, surveyors have counted 3,337 nests--2,692 loggerheads; 634 greens and 11 leatherbacks on 24 miles of beach (excluding Mizell-Johnson State Park). It was a record year for greens; the previous mark was 500 in 2012. Nova Southeastern University and the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program are part of a network dedicated to sea turtle conservation that includes several volunteer organizations --Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP), the South Florida Audubon Society, and Sea Turtle Awareness Rescue Stranding (STARS). The volunteers work tirelessly throughout the season to help protect sea turtle hatchlings by redirecting them away from disorienting coastal lighting back to the moon- and star-lit ocean.
The three-year tagging study is funded by a $45,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Broward County. But the program could use some help, since each tag costs upwards of $4,500. The first turtle to be tagged was named George Finley (even though it's a female) after the winner of Guy Harvey Outpost's May sweepstakes.
If you would like to sponsor a tag for next season, contact Burkholder at dburkholder@nova.edu or call 954-262-3673.
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/tagged-sea-turtles-reporting-safe-after-irma/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Walking in Darwin’s Footsteps on Guy Harvey Outpost Galapagos Expedition&body=When you embark on Guy Harvey Outpost's Galapagos Islands photo expedition May 4-12, you will be the envy of scientists from all over the world. Visiting five different islands in this remote eastern Pacific chain about 600 miles off Ecuador, you will observe and capture images of species found nowhere else on earth such as the Galapagos sea lion; Galapagos tortoise; and the marine iguana.
The unique animals that inspired naturalist Charles Darwin to lay out his world-changing theory of evolution in "On the Origin of Species" in 1859 are still revealing themselves to science in 2017 and you could be there as these revelations unfold.
In 2015, scientists discovered a new species of giant tortoise on Santa Cruz Island. For more than 150 years, the long-lived land animals on the eastern and western portions of the island were believed to be the same species, but genetic studies found the two populations were distinct. The eastern population became the 15th known tortoise species in the Galapagos, four of which are extinct.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_1201.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4618" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_1201.jpg" alt="DSC_1201" width="5008" height="3032" /></a>
One prominent geneticist who is itching to conduct DNA research in the islands is Dr. Mahmood Shivji, head of the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University near Fort Lauderdale. Shivji visited there several months ago on a trip with Guy Harvey Outpost President Mark Ellert and the company's Ecuadorean development partners. The scientist discussed possible avenues of research with officials of the Galapagos National Park.
"We hope to study movement patterns and migrations of a variety of animals-- sea lions, land tortoises, boobies, frigate birds, white marlin--in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Service and scientists from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in the Galapagos," Shivji said.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_8051.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4620" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_8051.jpg" alt="DSC_8051" width="5008" height="3336" /></a>
There are lots of procedures to undergo for anyone wishing to conduct scientific research in the Galapagos; proposals must undergo several levels of government review before any permits are issued. And park officials expect scientists publishing their findings to share them with the park.
Shivji, who has made some breakthrough genetic discoveries surrounding sharks and billfish, can hardly wait.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_7083.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4619" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_7083.jpg" alt="DSC_7083" width="2100" height="1095" /></a>
"DNA contains an amazing amount of information on the current and past status of species and populations. There's still lots of discoveries to be made," Shivji said. "In addition to generating basic knowledge of how animals evolve, that information also is essential in helping the Galapagos National Park inform their policies for conserving these amazing iconic species in this unique place."
So it's possible that as you hike and snorkel around these islands taking photographs with your guide, Sports Illustrated veteran Ron Modra, you could be capturing images of a bird, reptile or mammal destined to up-end modern science.
To book your Galapagos expedition, go to <a href="http://www.GHOGalapagos.com">www.GHOGalapagos.com</a> or call our reservations desk at 800-513-5257.
PHOTO CREDITS: Ron Modra https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/walking-in-darwins-footsteps-on-guy-harvey-outpost-galapagos-expedition/){kind=link}
TRAVEL DESK : 800.513.5257
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