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IWC entanglement response training in the
Agoa Sanctuary, Eastern Caribbean

The final IWC entanglement training of 2015 has concluded successfully in Guadeloupe and Martinique, in the French Caribbean.  The training was led by the IWC in partnership with the Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown.   The workshop was requested and funded by the recently created Agoa Sanctuary, where there have been several recent reports of entangled whales. Agoa took the lead in developing a regional response capability, which also involved partner organisations including the Parc National de la Guadeloupe, the Parc Naturel Régional de la Martinique, the French National Stranding Network and their local focal point, l’ONCFS, la Direction de l’Environnement de l’Aménagement et du Logement Martinique la Direction de la Mer Martinique.

The training extended over two days on Guadeloupe and two days on Martinique. A total of approximately 30 participants attended, including the Gendarmerie, Marine Rescue, Navy, French maritime administration and local business including whalewatch operators. Three participants also attended from the island of Dominica which lies between Guadeloupe and Martinique, and has observed some of the same entanglements. 

This training was another example of a National Marine Mammal Protected Area initiating and facilitating entanglement capacity building within its boundaries and surrounding habitat. Ago is a National MPA, and also has legal standing under the Cartagena Convention.

For more information about Agoa, click here.

For photographs of the training, and other entanglement workshops, click here