Haiti needs a marine mammal sanctuary

By: Charmerine Calixte

In January, an endangered humpback whale went into Haitian waters and was harpooned by a group of fishermen on the north coast. We tried to talk to these fishermen, but they were not educated about the importance of these species. All we could do at the time was watch. The next day, the whale died near a beach. We were very upset as we are working with the Haitian government to establish a marine mammal sanctuary. Until that happens, hopefully later this year, we need to educate the public about why whales need to be protected, not harpooned and killed.