11
Dominica creates world’s first marine protected area for sperm whales | Whales | The Guardian
(www.theguardian.com)
This is the best summary I could come up with:
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.
“We want to ensure these majestic and highly intelligent animals are safe from harm and continue keeping our waters and our climate healthy,” the prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, said in a statement.
Fewer than 500 sperm whales are estimated to live in the waters surrounding Dominica, part of a population that moves along the Lesser Antilles chain, swimming as far south as St Vincent and north into Guadeloupe.
In the pre-whaling days, an estimated 2 million sperm whales roamed the Earth’s deep waters before they were hunted for oil used to burn lamps and lubricate machinery.
The government of Dominica said the reserve would allow sustainable artisanal fishing and delineate an international shipping lane to avoid more deaths of sperm whales, which have the largest brain of an animal species in the world and can grow up to 50ft (15 meters).
Once the reserve is created, the prime minister said his administration will appoint an officer and observers to ensure the area is respected and that whale tourism regulations are enforced.
The original article contains 657 words, the summary contains 197 words. Saved 70%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!