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On November 15th at the Mercure Hotel, Romain Renoux, in charge of the AGOA Sanctuary in Saint-Martin, presented the results of the marine mammal monitoring programs, initiated by Nicolas Maslach within the Sanctuary and carried out in the Îles du Nord over 2012 and 2013. Over the 3 seasons, 1,022km of transects were completed around Saint-Martin and Saint Barthelemy, and 1,400km around Anguilla, Saint Eustatius and Saba. 68 visual observations were reported. 6 different species were seen : the humpback whale, sperm whale, atlantic spotted dolphin, pantropical spotted dolphin, bottlenose dolphin and the very rare pygmy sperm whale. The presence of short-finned pilot whales was acoustically confirmed. The significant presence of sperm whales calls for additional scientific research in order to increase our knowledge about their backgrounds and their activities. The presence of Bryde’s whales and killer whales remains to be confirmed. These scientific missions confirm the faunal richness of our waters which endows us with the important responsibility of protecting these species.
The Îles du Nord are highly frequented by marine mammals
Le grand dauphin Tursiops truncatus The bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus © Nicolas Maslach
