The Samaná Bay whale-watching season in the Dominican Republic formally opened on Wednesday, 11 January 2017 with the signing of the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding for Whale Watching by government and NGO entities, namely the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Tourism, together with organizations that work and support the preservation the marine bio-diversity.
The whale-watching season runs between 15 January and 15 March. The annual arrival of humpback whales in Samaná Bay from as far away as Greenland is the culmination of one of the longest wildlife migration routes in the world.
Announcing the start of the season, Environment Minister Francisco Dominguez Brito emphasized the importance of the whales and of biodiversity in general. The minister went on to highlight the social and economic benefits the whale-watching season brings for the province of Samaná and nearby provinces. He pointed out that around 55,000 people took whale-watching excursions in 2016.
The bay is an internationally recognized protected area together with Silver Banks off the North Coast.
The DR is in a partnership with the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a federally protected area in Massachusetts Bay.
12 January 2017
