YARARI MARINE MAMMAL & SHARK SANCTUARY Editor’s note Dutch Caribbean, 2019 The Dutch Caribbean is an important area The Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark for marine mammals, sharks and rays. More Sanctuary was established in the Dutch than twenty marine mammal and thirty shark Caribbean on September 1, 2015. The Yarari and ray species are reported in these waters. Sanctuary comprises all the waters of Bonaire These animals have important ecological and Saba, and as of September 2018, St. roles in maintaining the health of coral reefs Eustatius. The name of the sanctuary “Yarari” and open ocean ecosystems and possess is a Taíno Indian word, meaning ‘a fine place’. major potential for eco-based tourism and It is intended to provide “a fine place” for ma- recreational activities. Populations around rine mammals, sharks and rays, where they the globe are threatened by overfishing, will receive the necessary attention to ensure habitat loss and other anthropogenic their protection. pressures. This special edition of BioNews contains Marine mammals, sharks and rays rely on a information on the Yarari Marine Mammal network of interlinked habitats throughout and Shark Sanctuary and an overview of the their hundreds, or even thousands, of kilom- current knowledge on marine mammals, eters journeys. Breeding and feeding grounds sharks and rays. As it is intended to eventually and migratory routes are especially important also include the other, neighboring, Dutch for conservation. Therefore, it is of great Caribbean islands: Aruba, Curaçao and St. importance to create Maarten, we present the available shark, a network of marine protected areas within ray and marine mammal information for the the Caribbean and beyond, to safeguard entire Dutch Caribbean. these transboundary species. Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary - Content ... 2 3 4 5 6 ... 1 PROTECTION 6 Responsibility 8 Ecological significance 7 The Yarari Marine Mammal 9 Economic significance and Shark Sanctuary CONteNt 2 MARINE MAMMALS 3 SHARKS & RAYS 4 MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES 11 Overview 34 Overview REFERENCES 15 Threaths 40 Threats 5 15 • Fishery 26 • Regional Comparison 41 • Fishery 16 • Collisions with Vessels and Ships 27 • Research and Monitoring 41 • Habitat Loss and Degradation 6 APPENDIXES Recommendations 16 • Noise 41 • Climate Change 62 Appendix I: Declaration for Establishment 28 Regional Marine Mammal initiatives Yarari Sanctuary 17 • Marine Debris 42 Shark and Ray Research and Monitoring 29 • SPAW Protocol 64 Appendix II: Legislation 17 • Contaminants (f.e. sewage, and oils spills) 42 • Fisheries Monitoring 29 • Dutch Caribbean 65 Appendix III: IUCN Red List 17 • Habitat Degradation/Physical Barriers Cetacean Network (DCCN) 43 • Baited Remote Underwater videos of Threatened Species 17 • Whale & Dolphin Watching 29 • Marine Mammal Protected 45 • Nurse Sharks and Caribbean Reef 66 Appendix IV: Reporting your Sightings Area Network (MAMPAN) Sharks Acoustic Telemetry 17 • Climate Change 29 • The Sister Sanctuary Program 46 • Silky Sharks Acoustic Telemetry 18 • Recommendations and Tissue Sampling 30 • CARIB Tails Humpback Whale Migration 19 Marine Mammal Research and Monitoring Data Collection 47 • Tiger Shark Satellite Tagging 19 • Aerial Surveys 30 • Marine Spatial Planning 49 • Shark and Ray Sightings for Mammal Corridors 19 • Acoustic Monitoring 50 • Research and Monitoring 30 • MaMa CoCo Sea Recommendations 20 • Marine Mammal Sightings 30 • Caribbean Marine Mammals 51 Save Our Shark Project 21 • Humpback and Bryde’s whales Preservation Network (CARI’MAM) 25 • Antillean Manatees 31 • Summary and Opportunities Content photo by: © Agoa expedition,2012 page Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary - Content ... 2 3 4 5 6 ... pROteCtiON Of mARiNe mAmmAls, ShARKs ANd RAys iN the dutCh CARibbeAN Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary - Content ... 2 3 4 5 6 ... A diverse and rich variety of marine mammals, sharks and rays inhabits the Dutch Caribbean, which comprises the combined territories of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao (southeast- ern leeward Dutch Caribbean island group) and Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten (northeastern Dutch Caribbean windward island group) (van Beek and al. 2014; Debrot et al., 2017). Shark, ray and marine mammal populations around the globe have been in rapid decline over the past decades as overfishing, habitat loss and other anthropogenic pressures have severely reduced their abundance (Dulvy et al., 2014; Schipper et al., 2008). (Migratory) marine mammals, sharks and rays rely on a network of interlinked habitats through- out their extensive migratory journeys. Therefore, it is of great importance to create a network of marine protected areas within the Caribbean and beyond to safeguard these transboundary species. Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary - Content ... 2 3 4 5 6 ... Responsibility The Netherlands has a traditionally strong commit- Biodiversity within the territorial waters is the ment to the protection of biodiversity both interna- primary responsibility of the respective island gov- tionally and in its own National and Kingdom wa- ernments, though ultimate responsibility also falls ters. The Kingdom waters (the Exclusive Economic to the Ministry of LNV. The autonomous islands Zone [EEZ]) in the Caribbean amount to more than Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten carry full responsi- 90.000 km2 of diverse tropical marine habitats. bility for their own parts of the EEZ. With the constitutional changes that took place The Ministry developed an overall management on 10 October 2010, within the Kingdom of the plan for marine biodiversity and fisheries, in prepa- Netherlands, Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire ration for these fractured responsibilities within were integrated into the Netherlands proper as the Dutch Caribbean EEZ after the constitutional special overseas municipalities, while Curaçao and changes. Continuing a process already started by St. Maarten became new autonomous overseas the Netherlands Antilles, this plan consulted all entities within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (a the islands (Meesters et al., 2010) while working in status Aruba already has since 1985). Responsibility conjunction with a Memorandum of Agreement to for the sustainable management and conserva- formalize this joint management. Two of the key tion of the marine biodiversity and fisheries in ambitions identified in the Dutch Caribbean EEZ the EEZ of Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire (the management plan were to develop a marine mam- Caribbean Netherlands), now lies with the Ministry mal sanctuary and the effective implementation of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). of shark protection. Photo by: © Mark Vermeij Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary - Content ... 6 7 8 9 10 ... The Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary The Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Maarten, we present the available shark, Sanctuary (hereafter referred to as Yarari ray and marine mammal information for Sanctuary) was declared in the Dutch all islands. One of the Blue Halo Curaçao Caribbean on September 1, 2015 (ap- policy recommendations for a sustain- pendix I). It comprises all the waters of able ocean policy (2016) is to designate Bonaire and Saba, and since September Curaçao’s waters as a shark and marine 2018, St. Eustatius. The name of the mammal sanctuary. In St. Maarten’s wa- Sanctuary “Yarari” is a Taíno Indian word, ters, targeted fishing and killing of sharks meaning “a fine place”. It is intended to has been prohibited since 2012. provide “a fine place” for marine mam- mals, sharks and rays where they will Primary responsibility for the Yarari receive the necessary attention to ensure Sanctuary, lying mostly in the EEZ, falls their protection. It was also intended to to the Ministry of LNV of the Netherlands. assert the position of the Netherlands in However, there is a formal agreement favor of marine mammal protection at the among the islands and the Netherlands to international level. jointly manage biodiversity and fisheries in the waters from the outside borders The Yarari Sanctuary is currently com- of the EEZ to the outer boundaries of posed of two parts: one surrounding the marine parks, by way of the EEZ the windward Dutch Caribbean islands Commission (formally the Commission Saba (including the Saba Bank) and for Marine Biodiversity and Fisheries). St. Eustatius, and one surrounding the Management of the Yarari Sanctuary leeward Dutch Caribbean island Bonaire thus falls under the EEZ Commission. including their EEZ. As it is intended to Secretary and contact person of eventually also include the other Dutch the EEZ Commission is Paul Hoetjes Caribbean islands: Aruba, Curaçao and St. ([email protected]). Would you like to share a news item? Please e-mail us: [email protected] Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary - Content ... 6 7 8 9 10 ... Ecological significance Shark and ray populations around the globe have been in rapid decline for the past few decades as overfishing and habitat loss have severely reduced their abundance. The IUCN estimates that one-quarter of the world’s sharks and rays are currently threatened with extinction (Dulvy et al., 2014). This is a significant issue from an ecological standpoint, as sharks play a critical role in maintaining the health of coral reefs and open ocean ecosys- tems (Baum and Worm, 2009; Brierley, 2007; Ferretti et al., 2010; Terborgh, 2015). A decrease in number of sharks, as top preda- tors, can affect the overall fish population which leads to a dis- turbed natural balance