The Swan Island Expedition Day 06
Farewell to the Swan Islands.
The story of the Swan Islands boils down to one subject. Protection. The expedition came to the islands with high expectations. The Swan Islands are referred to as the “Galapagos of the Caribbean”, and it was that description the team carried with them in the long crossing. But the reality of the Swan Islands is that even here on this isolated island, overfishing has severely impacted the reef ecosystems. The expedition repeatedly noted a significant lack of fish.
The western side of Swan Island as seen from the air, (c) Kip Evans Photography
Dr. Sylvia Earle:
“That’s part of why we’re here in the Swan Islands, to look at the nature of this place that has periodically been fished very hard.…