The Whale Festival organized on April 3 at Orient Bay
World Whale Day took place on February 20. On this occasion, several environmental organizations have come together to organize an event around this majestic animal.
Saint Martin is the second most important site in the Caribbean after the Dominican Republic where humpback whales come to breed every year. There are between 2000 to 3000 marine mammals in the area. The various actors working for the tranquility of cetaceans have joined forces to celebrate the animal and improve observation and data collection tools, namely the Métimer association, the Saint Martin Nature Reserve, the Agoa, the Megaptera association, Rotary International and the Tourist Office of Saint Martin. Through the Whale Festival to be held in Orient Bay on April 3 from 14 p.m. to 19 p.m., everyone's desire is not only to put whales in the spotlight but also to educate and raise awareness among young and old about the richness of having a seasonal breeding area, the importance of preserving it, the need to gather information concerning the comings and goings of whales and especially to inform the public of the great need to train whale watchers (whale watcher). At present, the Agoa sanctuary is the only one on the island to offer this type of training. Fervent promoter of biodiversity, the representatives of Agoa invite lovers of the marine world to train as whale watchers, in an official framework and respect for the issues related to the whale breeding area, sometimes mistreated by certain boats too envious of getting too close to these giants of the sea. Métimer also hopes to put this training in place from next November. Cetaceans are tracked in several ways. A technique put forward by Megaptera is photo identification, as well as the installation of beacons. To date, ten beacons are active and five more should be placed soon. The Whale Festival program initiated by Métimer will include, among other things, conferences for children and adults as well as information and exchange stands for local associations. A drawing competition is open to children, the winner will see his work illustrate the poster for the next Whale Festival. _VX
Caption: Julien Chalifour, scientific manager at the Saint Martin Nature Reserve, Stéphane Mazurier, member of Métimer and marine mammal tourist observation operator in the Northern Islands (whale watcher), Fabian Charbonnier, France/Europe promotion officer at Saint Martin Tourist Office, Michel Vely, marine mammal conservation veterinarian & president of Megaptera, Alexina Paya, coordinator at Métimer, Manu, adviser at Métimer and Béatrice Wojcik, president of Métimer
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