World Wildlife Fund calls for more control measures in Latin American waters to preserve Eastern Pacific whales

The report Blue Corridors of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Opportunities and Actions to Protect Migratory Whales prepared by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) collected the routes of the Whales migrants crossing Eastern Pacific OceanHe called these corridors the highways for these cetaceans that swim each year from the Bering Strait in Alaska to the Antarctic Peninsula at the southern tip of the American continent, sometimes stretching for thousands of miles.

Although nearly 3 million whales were taken commercially in the 20th century, driving many species to the brink of extinction, WWF notes that there is now significantly less commercial whaling, allowing some populations of these cetaceans to thrive. But “new threats are emerging that make the migratory routes of whales increasingly dangerous to travel”.

The report explains that the blue runners they are critical ocean habitats for migrating marine species. Additionally, whales depend on these areas where they feed, mate, give birth, care for their young, socialize or migrate – for their survival. “Blue corridors”, explains the WWF, are pathways for the movement of marine megafauna between different but ecologically interconnected areas, essential for their survival.

Whales, like other aquatic species, They play an essential role in maintaining the health of the oceans and the global climate. In addition, they contribute to the global economy through tourism revenue. In Ecuador, for example, the humpback whale watching season draws hundreds of tourists to the country’s shores.

Despite their importance, whales often end up in fishing gear, caught accidentally or in ghost nets, collide with ships or fall victim to underwater chemical and noise pollution, habitat loss and climate change, factors that affect whales, their prey and their habitats.

To preserve these animals, WWF stresses the importance of the continent’s governments stepping in to execute plans that protect blue sliders. For the body, the joint statement on the “Protection of the Americas for the Pacific Oceanat the Ninth Summit of the Americas is a critical first step to conserving and protecting 30% of regional seas by 2030. This instrument was signed by the governments of Chile, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and United Statesin June 2022.

The WWF has identified 12 species of whales that roam the Eastern Pacific. To protect them, the report includes three general lines of work: set up connected networks of marine areass protected areas and other conservation measures based on specific geographical areas; reduce, through cooperation, cumulative threats how to work to ensure that fishing does not entangle whales or reduce plastic pollution, among other things; And invest in whales have a prosperous ocean.

In the document, the case of the initiative of the Eastern Pacific Tropical Marine Corridor (CMAR), which is a mechanism for regional cooperation between Panama, Ecuador, Colombia y Costa Rica for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity and includes a proposal for a network of marine protected areas covering an area of ​​approximately 500,000 square kilometres. Within CMAR are some of the world’s most important migratory routes for whales, sea turtles, sharks and rays. WWF says its implementation will help protect the region’s endemic, native and endangered migratory species, such as sperm whales, Bryde’s whales and blue whales, as well as a number of dolphin species.

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