A humpback whale calf, about six months old, stranded dead on the beach of Coyuca de Benítez on Tuesday afternoon. The whale had a fishing net wrapped around its tail and a rope sticking out of its mouth, residents reported.
Marine biologist Juan Manuel Barnard said that these types of accidents that kill whales are common because fishing is unruly and authorities lack sufficient personnel to control it. The calf was about six months old, the specialist estimated.
The Los Guerreros Ambientalistas civil association reported the incident. On Tuesday afternoon, they reported a sad scene on their shores. A whale was washed up on the beaches of Coyuca de Benítez, caught in fishing nets, in the Costa Grande region.
“Today, on Mother Earth Day, nature teaches us a hard lesson: a whale died due to pollution and irresponsible fishing.” He stated that the animal appeared stranded on the shore, with clear signs of having been entangled in a net. “This tragedy is a sign of the damage we are causing.”
Following the report, representatives from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) and the municipal government attended to the discovery and buried it Wednesday afternoon on the beach where it was found.
Marine biologist and photographer Juan Manuel Barnard reported that this type of whale death occurs frequently, but that it has become known now because it occurred near Acapulco.
Unfortunately, he said, the floating trawls must have owners. One of the conditions is to place them and return for them.
He explained that there is a mating, feeding, and birth process from the Arctic waters of Alaska to the coasts of Guerrero.
“They come back, every month they’re there, they’re feeding, they’re thickening their layers of tissue because they’re already in embryonic development. Officially, we have them here from November to March. Like right now, when there are still whales.
“During that entire journey, they face a thousand problems. A ship takes them away, a boat hits them, a group of orcas attacks the whale calves, and sharks also attack them.”
Added to all these dangers are the nets found throughout the Mexican Pacific and in Guerrero. In this state, he charged, there is anarchy.
“Each net must be registered, and they must submit a report every day to Conapesca.”
A record must state how much they caught, how many hauls they had, and each fisherman must be registered.
“And if the owner of the net doesn’t appear, it’s illegal fishing, and illegal fishing must be combated.”
A net, he said, can be up to 200 meters long. These nets can trap a whale calf that is just getting stronger. Boats, he explained, should not enter the whale pods because they scare them away and they can lose their young.
“Three years ago, that happened. A whale calf was lost, alone, and had no one to feed it because its mother feeds them until they reach Alaska, and if not, they die here.”
“If you add to that the fact that the whale calf was entangled or at the same time it could have been separated by a boat that took it away from the pod, and the pod couldn’t find it.
“It could have been left without strength for a day, without milk, it was a humpback whale calf. They weigh half a ton; it could have been born in October or November, it’s a calf from this season, no more than six months old.”
“We must be very careful about how many nets are set and why they are permitted, how many, at what times, whether they are registered or not, and whether there are enough inspectors.
“It’s time for a reorganization and to know how many nets there are. It’s not the fisherman’s fault either, because they have to catch their food, but we must have control over how many nets should be set because with one net permit, more can be set.”
Government sources consulted indicate that the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) has five investigators, which is not enough. Given this shortage, they have to ask the Navy for help, which charges them around 30,000 pesos per trip.
Source: proceso
