A sun fish swims off of the coast of Chile’s Desventuradas Islands. Photo: Enric Sala / National Geographic
Over a hundred miles off the coast of Chile lies Las Islas de los Desventurados, or the Unfortunate Islands. Despite what their namesake suggests, these islands and the marine life surrounding them had a bit of luck on Monday as the Chilean government approved a plan to make a marine preserve the size of Italy in the area.
The preserve, which will be the largest government protected marine area in the Americas, will extend across 115,000 square miles in a Pac-Man shaped part of the ocean, reports National Geographic. Although the area only accounts for 0.5 percent of Chile’s swordfish haul, the new preserve will restrict the little fishing that goes on there. Pairing with other environmental agencies, the MPA had been working to secure the area as a preserve due to the rich ecosystem.
The Desventuradas Islands and the surrounding waters are home to many unique and endangered species. For instance, the Juan Fernández fur seals and the Chilean sand paper fish are endemic to the area, meaning they are only found there and nowhere else on earth. And the waters are also home to the sun fish, which are definitely worth preserving…you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen the video of a Boston bro encountering one and losing his shit.
