Ecuador is adding an area of about 60,000 square kilometers, or 23,000 square miles of protected waters near the Galapagos Islands, protecting a pathway used by numbers of protected species on their migrations between the Galapagos and Costa Rica's Cocos Island.
The new addition, seen on the map below, marks off an area closed to all fishing operations, and another where long lines and large nets are prohibited. The original marine reserve was established in 1998 because of the variety of unique species in the area.
While giant sea turtles are probably the best-known of the species that travel the "marine superhighway," others include stingrays, whales, hammerhead sharks and whales, as well as smaller sea mammals.
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