‘Also citizens’: Caribbean island Dominica to create first marine protected area for sperm whales
- The island wants to help one of earth’s largest, and endangered, animals, so has designated a vast area as a reserve
- The move will help the planet too, as the whales’ nutrient-rich poo stays on the ocean surface and creates plankton blooms, capturing carbon dioxide
The tiny Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the world’s first marine protected area for one of earth’s largest animals: the endangered sperm whale.
Nearly 800 square kilometres (300 square miles) of blue waters on the western side of the island nation that serve as key nursing and feeding grounds will be designated as a reserve, the government announced on Monday.
“We want to ensure these majestic and highly intelligent animals are safe from harm and continue keeping our waters and our climate healthy,” said Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
Scientists say the reserve, roughly the size of the island itself, will not only protect the animals, but also help the fight against climate change.
Sperm whales defecate near the surface because they shut down non-vital functions when they dive to depths of up to 10,000 feet (3,000 metres).
As a result, nutrient-rich poo remains along the ocean surface and creates plankton blooms, which capture carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and drag it to the ocean floor when they die.