Connectivity between islands up to 3,000 km apart.
(San José, Costa Rica – February 18, 2026). A newly published scientific study on the migratory movements of Galapagos and silky sharks tagged in the Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico, confirms biological connectivity with other islands across the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The findings show that sharks regularly move between marine protected areas separated by thousands of kilometers.
The study warns that exposure to fishing activities increases significantly when fully protected no-take zones fail to encompass the critical habitats and migration routes used by sharks.
“The biological connectivity among islands of the Eastern Tropical Pacific—some located more than 3,000 kilometers apart—underscores the urgent need for international cooperation to protect marine corridors, or swimways, that serve as essential migration routes for these species,” said Randall Arauz of the Center for Rescue of Endangered Marine Species (CREMA) of Costa Rica and co-author of the study.
“To be effective, conservation and fisheries management measures must be harmonized across the region. Threatened shark species require strict, coordinated protection throughout their entire migratory routes—not just within isolated protected areas,” Arauz emphasized
For an infographic:
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