Fishermen follow Simon Peter
If my memory serves me correctly, it was Simon Peter who left his nets to become a ‘fisher of men’. Now some 20 Galapagos fishermen have left their commercial nets and hooks behind them to become involved in the tourism industry. Some have simply started to take out passengers on their artisanal fishing trips, others have become tourist guides, often taking visitors snorkelling or diving. While local papers suggest there is a degree of altruism here, the reality is that they have fished most of the fish and other species, and the new jobs offer a better prospect! Whatever the reason, this is good news, the fewer commercial fishermen in Galapagos the better for the health of the marine ecosystem, which is key to the survival of many land based species.