Swimming Without Borders For Humpback Whales

Last April we talked about a project to create a network of protected marine zones in all countries that border the northern and southern sectors of the Atlantic Ocean. Led by the European Commission, the idea came to fruition after Romain Renoux, coordinator for the European BEST project for the Caribbean islands and representative of the Agoa sanctuary for the protection of marine mammals in Saint Martin, went to Brussels to present the actions taken by Agoa and the Réserve Naturelle as part of the Megara mission, on the corridors of migration for humpback whales, who do not recognize international borders as they migrate. Convinced by the project, the European Commission decided to finance the creation of workshops with the protected marine zones that are already dealing with this subject, as well as with countries interested in improving their knowledge about the Atlantic Ocean migration corridors. The first of these workshops was held on May 15-17 in Saint Martin at the Beach Hotel. Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Saint Barth, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Bermuda, The United States, The Netherlands, and Cape Verde were all able to share their experiences and their know-how. All of the countries and islands linked by the migration corridors used by the humpback whales are well aware how important it is for each of them to do their part in providing efficient protection for these large marine mammals. Representing Saint Martin, Julien Chalifour, director of the Réserve’s scientific department, and Michel Vély, president of the Megaptera association, presented the results of the three Megara missions in 2014, 2015, and 2017, emphasizing the importance of the reproductive zone between Saint Martin, Anguilla, and Saint Barth.