In November last year, the authorities on Dominica announced that an area of sea to the west of the island of almost 800 square kilometers will be turned into a marine reserve. – The 200 or so sperm whales that call our ocean their home are valued residents of Dominica. We want to ensure that the majestic and intelligent animals are protected, and a continued clean ocean and climate, said Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit. Sperm whales appear in several parts of the world, but the area around Dominica is one of the few places where you can find them throughout the year. The future reserve is located in an area where the large animal feeds and cares for its young. Will protect the whales from dangers Marine biologist Shane Gero tells The Guardian that there were two million sperm whales in the ocean before people started catching them for fish oil. Now there are around 800,000 of them left. Sperm whales have for a long time become entangled in fishing equipment around the island state, have been hit by ships, and have been negatively affected by pollution from agriculture. The reserve must protect the whales from dangers such as these. To take care of the animals, commercial fishing will be banned, and large ships will have to drive through sea corridors. To avoid the whales being disturbed, the number of tourists will be limited, but you will still be able to experience the animals from boats, and be able to swim with them. According to Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, officers and observers will be deployed to ensure that the rules are respected. Captures carbon dioxide In addition to protecting the animals, the reserve will have important positive effects for the climate. The sperm whales release their nutrient-rich faeces into the sea surface which leads to a bloom of plankton which in turn captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When the plankton dies, it takes the greenhouse gas with it and settles on the seabed. Gero tells The Guardian that the sperm whale produces more faeces around Dominica than whales do anywhere else. Preservation of the wonderful mammal will thus help clean the air around the Caribbean island.
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Will create the world’s first Sperm whale reserve
