MEXICO, Isla Mujeres area, Yucatan Peninsula - January 2011
Demarcation (traffic separation) buoy to protect whale sharks
Click photo to enlarge
Sharks have experienced serious population declines in the past half century. Perhaps the most enigmatic of all sharks is also the largest of all fishes – the whale shark. Long regarded as a solitary ocean voyager, recent evidence shows that they can be quite gregarious and spend a lot of time relatively close to coasts. Hundreds of whale sharks gather seasonally to feed off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in a spectacular and previously unrecorded biological event. From May through September, there are huge aggregations of whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine species off Holbox Island. A second and larger seasonal aggregation, the Afuera, occurs of the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula north of Isla Mujeres. The proximity to a highly developed coastal region highlights a pressing need to protect this and all coastal whale shark aggregations. Most of the area in which the sharks congregate was established in 2009 by the Mexican government as a Whale Shark Biosphere Reserve. Unfortunately, collisions between major vessels (cargo/freight ships, oil tankers etc.) and the sharks are not uncommon. Seacology is supporting the Domino Project (Dominos are a nickname for whale sharks due to their white spots) by funding a demarcation/traffic separation buoy in the area of the Afuera to alert vessels to the presence of the whale sharks. The buoy’s beacon will be visible at night from a range of over five miles. The solar-powered buoy will also be equipped with GPS and a radar reflector, and will deploy radio-transmitted messages. This system will assist vessels in avoiding the whale sharks. It will also protect visitors to the area who take tour boats to view and swim with the creatures.
UPDATE June 2011 - According to project contact Rafael de la Parra, the buoy project is going well but has slowed due to a new city mayor, who is director of the API QRoo (Admin. Portuaria Integral de Quintana Roo) (Harbor Administration). This is the organization that has the two moorings and chain for the demarcation buoy. Rafael is meeting with the organization in late May. He has received an official letter from the Mexican Navy Regional Commander, on behalf the possibility of a permit exemption for the buoys. They asked for more detail regarding the mooring, the kind of buoys and specifically about the point where the buoys are going to be deployed. In early May, Rafael went out to study the proposed spots (along with the whale shark tour company's director/owner); they identified two very well defined spots, with coordinates and depth.
