People should be worried about sharks. Not because they are dangerous but because their population is decreasing. Sharks travel long distances in search of food and warm environment.
Sharks travel from Costa Rica all the way to the Galapagos and Cocos islands in winters. Scientists have been trying to track the route traveled by the sharks near Costa Rica for years.
Scientists used remote underwater video stations as an effective tool for monitoring sharks throughout the Galapagos-Cocos corridor. PACIFICO, the Galapagos National Park, and Cocos Island National Park carried out an expedition to find and protect the highway path traveled by sharks.
The scientists and biologists witnessed a continuous swim way of large marine animals throughout the corridor. The videos and photographs collected showed that the sharks took a 500-mile long path to reach their destination. The route has a range of underwater mountains. Few peaks extend up to the surface. The marine animals might use these peaks as navigation routes.
Apparently, their path is not safe. The highway is surrounded with deep sea tuna fishing areas. So, there is a lot of chance that the shark might be caught if they come out of the highway path. It is important to transform the 500-mile path into a protected highway for marine life.
Shark populations help in maintaining the biodiversity of marine life. Large predators are capable of shaping marine food chains, prey population, and their behaviour. Reduction in shark population might have ecological consequences leading to loss of healthy marine ecosystem.
The scientists from PACIFICO, the Galapagos National Park, and Cocos Island National are trying to come-up with a new technique to protect the marine highway. This highway is not just an ocean reef, but a protected corridor for marine life. The marine highway is a novel step followed for the conservation of life underwater.
The protected marine highway could help achieve the 12th goal of sustainability. The highway goes above the Sea Mountains giving a scenic view of the marine life.