Mexico Controls Whale Shark Season Peak

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) IUCN Red List specie Vulnerable. Migrate 13,000 km in 37 months from Mexico.

The Whale Shark season of Mexico which initiated in mid-May and is reaching its peak is being closely controlled by authorities and environmentalists. The specie is listed at UICN Red Species List. Little is known about the life of these mysterious ocean giants -Rhincodon typus. International tourists take to Mexico in search of glance of what probably could be one of the most mystical and docile marine creatures navigating in the oceans today.

Caribe Noticias reported on June 16^th that the Whale Shark season of Mexico could become an important sustainable touristic activity for the region but planning is necessary to avoid environmental damages.

NTX News Agency of the State of Mexico reported that 1.4 thousand Whale Sharks are estimated to take to the waters of the Yucatan Peninsula. 200 of these will approximate the shores of the islands of Holbox and Contoy, according to a report of the Tourism Office of the Isla de Mujeres.

Environmentalists and authorities will stand watch on permissions and tourists for the respect of the species which is in search of plankton -its favorite nourishment.

“This specie usually swims in superficial warn waters, in those areas where there are plumes of colder water rich in nutrients, given that these conditions favor the growth of plankton on which they feed,” Francisco Remolina Suárez director of the Reserve of the Biosphere of the Whale Shark Mexico told the press.

The National Commission of Protected Areas CONANP solicited the Secretary of Communications and Transports SCT to designate the zone as “exclusion zone for the transit of large ships” to avoid lesions on whale shark individuals.

Island Holbox registers a hotel occupation of 80% which is expected to reach 100% by September 15^th. Municipal President of Lazaro Cadenas, Luciano Cima Cab added that the peak of the season is dominated by the presence of European Tourists which are estimated to reach 5 thousand in the island this year.

Tourists are invited not only for sighting and swimming with the Ocean Giants but to join the diverse programs designed for the conservation and investigation of the behavior of the specie considered the largest fish on the World with record lengths of up to 20 meters.

IUCN Red List sets the specie as "Vulnerable" one step classification to "Endangered". IUCN explains that they are found in all tropical and warm temperate seas except the Mediterranean. Recent developments in electronic and satellite tagging of Whale Sharks have demonstrated that these animals undertake multi-annual and very long-distance migrations. Tag investigations revealed a 13 thousand kilometer migration in over 37 months from the Gulf of California, Mexico, to near Tonga.

The Whale Season in Quintana Roo gave start a series of restrictions which are installed to protect the environment and above all the Whale Shark.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.

Ocean Life

Latest Issue

Mexico Controls Whale Shark Season Peak

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Life Facebook

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

Ocean Life Facebook Shop

Tags

Ocean News

Ocean Sports

Ocean Science