The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources has confirmed that last week, on Wednesday and Thursday, 7 and 8 January, a humpback whale was seen in Dominican waters, near Manzanillo port, looking weak and apparently covered with parasites.
At a press conference, the Ministry revealed that the whale was monitored by environmentalists until the end of the week, when it left Dominican waters. According to the Clearwater Aquarium in Florida, the whale may have been harpooned by local fishermen off the north coast of Haiti.
The Ministry of Environment officials patrolled the maritime border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti to photograph the whale should it reappear. They highlighted how this country was working to preserve and protect humpback whales and working closely with the International Whale Commission.
Every year, from January to March, thousands of humpback whales come from the North Atlantic to breed in the protected waters of the Silver Banks and Navidad areas in the north of the country. This allows both public and private institutions to study their behavior.
Medio Ambiente aclara protegió ballena estaba en aguas dominicanas