Caribbean marine mammal reserve

This video says about itself:

These pictures and video were taken during the 2012 Marine Mammal Monitoring conducted by the Nature Foundation from February to June 2012.

All images were taken in St. Maarten/ St. Martin including in the Man of War Shoal Marine Park.

A total of 41 humpback whales, 21 bottlenose dolphins, 15 long-nosed spinner dolphins, numerous sperm whales and one seal were recorded.

The sound track of this movie clip was provided by a male humpback whale, also recorded in St. Maarten seas.

From the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), Saturday 27 October 2012:

The Caribbean waters are home to 36 species of marine mammals, but surprisingly little is known about the lives of these intelligent and social creatures. Highly dependent on large, intact and healthy underwater ecosystems, marine mammals are sensitive to human-based pressures such as overfishing, land-based pollution and even cruise tourism (cruise ship collisions with whales is not uncommon). One species of marine mammal, the Caribbean monk seal, suffered from overfishing of their food source (reef fish and invertebrates such as lobsters and octopuses) and habitat loss through coastal development. Those threats combined with large-scale hunting of the seals pushed the species to a population collapse and extinction in the 1950s.

To prevent other marine mammals from going extinct, conservation efforts are crucial. The establishment of marine protected areas of the Dutch Caribbean, most recently on Saba Bank and in St. Maarten are significant steps in safeguarding habitat and ecosystems for our marine mammals. Several nations, including the USA, the Dominican Republic and France, have established marine mammal sanctuaries in Caribbean waters. The Netherlands will now follow suit with the establishment of a marine mammal sanctuary in the Dutch Caribbean by December 2012.

The recently established ‘Man of War Shoal’ marine protected area in St. Maarten is an important hotspot for marine mammals. A survey conducted by the St. Maarten Nature Foundation counted 41 humpback whales, numerous sperm whales, 21 bottlenose dolphins and 15 spinner dolphins in the period February – June 2012.

Dutch government financial cuts in Dutch Caribbean nature: here.

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