Deep in the Pacific Ocean, an underwater "superhighway" stretches roughly 700 kilometers (430 miles) between the marine reserves of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands and Cocos Island, off the coast of Costa Rica.

在太平洋深處，一條水下“高速公路”綿延約700公里(430英里),，位于厄瓜多爾加拉帕戈斯群島的海洋保護區(qū)和哥斯達黎加海岸外的科科斯島之間 ,。 

It's vital to the sea life -- including sea turtles, whale sharks and hammerhead sharks -- that moves back and forth between the islands, looking for a place to nest or foraging for food.

它對海洋生物至關(guān)重要,，包括海龜、鯨鯊和錘頭鯊,，它們在島嶼之間來回移動,，尋找筑巢或覓食的地方 。 

But the route can be dangerous. 

但這條通路也很危險,。

Unlike the marine reserves at each end, the swimway is open to fishing vessels. 

與兩端的海洋保護區(qū)不同,，這條通路上會有捕魚船,。

Data shows that populations of migratory species, many of which are already endangered, are declining.

數(shù)據(jù)顯示，許多已經(jīng)瀕臨滅絕的遷徙物種的數(shù)量正在下降 ,。

Protecting biodiversity hotspots around the islands is not enough, says Alex Hearn, biology professor and founding member of MigraMar, a coalition of scientists and environmental groups. 

生物學(xué)教授,、遷徙者創(chuàng)始成員亞歷克斯·赫恩說,，僅保護島嶼周圍的生物多樣性熱點是不夠的,，遷徙者是一個由科學(xué)家和環(huán)境組織組成的聯(lián)盟 。

His team is campaigning for the entire swimway to be protected -- an area that would stretch over 240,000 square kilometres (93,000 square miles) of ocean, about the size of the United Kingdom.

他的團隊正在致力于讓整個遷徙通路都得到保護——這片區(qū)域面積達到240,000平方公里（93,000平方英里）的海域,，跟英國國土面積相當(dāng),。

This would extend fishing restrictions beyond the current 22-kilometer radius around Cocos Island and the 74-kilometer radius around the Galapagos islands, creating a narrow protected channel between the two that follows a chain of seamounts, underwater mountains that rise from the sea floor.

這將使捕魚業(yè)的限制范圍超出目前以科科斯島為中心的22公里半徑和加拉帕戈斯群島為中心的74公里半徑，在兩者之間形成一條環(huán)形通道,，該通道會沿著海底升起的山脈延伸,。

Like landmarks for the ocean, the seamounts are vital for navigation. 

就像海洋的地標(biāo)一樣，海底山脈對導(dǎo)航是至關(guān)重要  的,。

Made from lava, they emit magnetic signals, which some species, such as hammerhead sharks and sea turtles, rely on to locate themselves, explains Hearn. 

赫恩解釋說,，它們是由熔巖形成的，會發(fā)出磁場信號,，一些物種,，如錘頭鯊和海龜，依靠磁場信號來確定自己的位置 ,。

He says these act as "stepping stones," providing places for sea creatures to feed and rest during migration.

他說,，這些是“里程碑”，為海洋生物在遷徙期間提供進食和休息的地方,。  

For more than a decade, MigraMar's network of scientists have been trying to prove the importance of the swimway by documenting the species that use it. 

十多年來,，遷徙者的科學(xué)家們一直試圖通過記錄使用遷徙通道的物種來證明其重要性。  

They have placed satellite and ultrasonic tags on almost 400 marine organisms to track their migratory routes.

他們利用了衛(wèi)星和在將近400多只海洋生物上安放超聲波裝置來追蹤它們的遷徙路線,。

So far, they have successfully tracked the migration of whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, leatherback turtles and green turtles between the two islands. 

目前為止,，他們已經(jīng)在這兩座島之間成功追蹤到了鯨鯊，錘頭鯊,，絲鯊,，棱皮龜和綠海龜?shù)倪w徙。