The dangers facing whales in Mexican seas: unregulated ecotourism affects them

Eight of the 14 species of whales that exist in the world can be seen in Mexico, but their situation in the country is a riskbecause of the problems caused by the poorly regulated ecotourism.

Luis Medrano González, researcher at the Faculty of Science (FC) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), warned of the mismanagement of "ecological" tourism.

IFungal infections, boats that get too close and end up flying over whales, as well as pollution and noise boats are some of the dangers these animals face.

Every year they migrate to the coasts of Mexican Mexico and Revillagigedo Islands 20 thousand gray whales and six thousand humpback whales. In these warm waters, they find the perfect environment to breed and take care of their young in the first weeks.

According to the researcher, Mexico was in the 70s an example of whale protection, it has declared areas of refuge, but the situation is now very different because of poorly regulated ecotourism, poor observation practices and tourism in general, which offers site visits formerly sanctuaries.

The researcher acknowledged that tourism is important in the Mexican economy, but in the case of cetaceanThe practice responds more to the profit motive of individuals and companies than to the conservation of the species.

"Significant efforts have been made to resolve this situation, but in general bad practices persist, to which are added other factors, also derived from tourism, such as the noise of the many boats and the overflowing of these mammals by the big ships"he said.

He felt that first there was a need for sustainable social development respecting biodiversity. "It is possible to have sustainable tourism, but if it goes hand in hand with social development and not with the big projects that benefit a few and affect the lives of many. "

The gray whale watching tourism industry is a symbol of the Baja California Peninsula, while humpback whales are popular with Los Cabos, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas.

The specialist advised to read the Norma Oficial Mexicana 131 of SEMARNAT, know the guidelines of what should be tourist observation without harming the species. He also added that it was important to badyze whether companies that offer tourism services met these standards.

The arrival of whales and their song

The gray whale and the humpback are the two migratory species that exist in Mexico.

The first migrate from the north to the Mexican waters in the fall and the hump bump arrives in the Mexican Pacific in winter.

Something has always attracted attention: how whales communicate: through sounds. According to Medrano González, the sound of blue whales can extend over 10,000 kilometers.

The the males of humpback whales produce structured sounds and periodic sequences, called singings, but its function has not yet been determined.