A new \u201csister sanctuary\u201d agreement signed this spring between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the government of The Netherlands adds to a network of marine protected areas stretching from New England to the Caribbean Sea, and now provides refuge for North Atlantic humpback whales at both ends of their 3,000-mile annual migration, NOAA announced today.<\/p>\n
The agreement between NOAA\u2019s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Massachusetts, and the Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary of the Caribbean Netherlands in the Dutch Lesser Antilles, provides for joint whale research, monitoring, education and conservation, according to the release.<\/p>\n
From April through December, humpback whales feed in Stellwagen Bank, and migrate to lower latitudes in the Caribbean Sea during the winter to mate and calve. Yarari sanctuary is a breeding and calving ground for the humpback whale population of around 1,000 whales, which are shared by both nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis agreement has the potential to improve our scientific knowledge and enhance our management capabilities of these two special places.\u201d said John Armor, director of NOAA\u2019s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.<\/p>\n
The nearly 9,000-square-mile Yarari sanctuary joins sanctuaries off Dominican Republic, French Antilles and Bermuda in the sister sanctuary network originated by NOAA in 2007. The network now encompasses 257,000 square miles in the western North Atlantic, including the 842 square miles of waters protected by NOAA\u2019s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sister sanctuary network, with the Yarari sanctuary as its newest member, uniquely links both eastern and western Atlantic humpback whale populations in the Caribbean, along with conservation efforts in Europe, the Caribbean and the United States,\u201d said Paul Hoetjes, policy coordinator for Caribbean Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs.<\/p>\n
The sister sanctuary concept is part of a plan for marine mammal protected areas worldwide and is partially supported by the United Nations Environment Programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cCooperation is central to our goals of and to the implementation of the regional Marine Mammal Action Plan for the Caribbean,\u201d said Monica Borobia-Hill, UNEP program officer. \u201cWe welcome this agreement. It will open new opportunities for collaboration in activities of mutual interest on humpback whales and other marine mammals, as appropriate, as well as their respective habitats.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Feature Image:<\/em>\u00a0A humpback whale breaches in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. (Credit: NOAA)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new \u201csister sanctuary\u201d agreement signed this spring between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the government of The Netherlands adds to a network of marine protected areas stretching from New England to the Caribbean Sea, and now provides refuge for North Atlantic humpback whales at both ends of their 3,000-mile annual migration, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":52106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[191,147,6842],"tags":[6466,6843],"yoast_head":"\n