Summary
A foreign flag vessel was detected by the Ecuadorian authorities in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. More than 6,000 sharks of various protected species were identified on the vessel. The case is prosecuted for a crime against flora and wild fauna and the Ecuadorian justice established criminal responsibility for unauthorized transport of protected marine fauna within a protected natural area. The court also referenced a need to protect the rights of nature and ordered the defendants to pay more than $6 million. The case was appealed to the Provincial Court of Guaya, but the court denied it.