The St. Maarten Nature Foundation is starting its Marine Mammal Monitoring project which will last from February until May. The Nature Foundation, in cooperation with the Reserve Naturelle de St. Martin, will be conducting a wide scale census of all Marine Mammals found in St. Maarten/ St. Martin territorial waters, including within the Man of War Shoal Marine Park. Many on St. Maarten might not be aware that there is a relatively significant Marine Mammal population in the waters surrounding St. Maarten, including numerous species of whales and dolphins. Previous pilot surveys have revealed that there could be a resident population of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) living in local waters. St. Maarten also lies within the area of the Western Atlantic where the Humpback Whale comes and gives birth to their young. From February to May several hundreds of Humpback Whales migrate from the northern Atlantic to areas of the Caribbean to give birth and nurse their young before heading back up north. Numerous other species, including sperm whales and several types of dolphins make their home in local waters. Several questions will be hoped to be answered as a result of the study, including most numerous species, migration routes and dates, and the feasibility of regulated wild whale and dolphin watching trips.
In March a wide scale monitoring expedition will be carried out which will monitor marine mammals in local waters over the period of a week. French St. Martin is part of the AGOA Marine Mammal Sanctuary which includes all of the French Territories in the Caribbean. The Nature Foundation asks to report any sightings of Marine Mammals to the Nature Foundation on 5444267 or 5270490.