Irish waters are home to almost 400 sperm whales, and now the Caribbean island of Dominica says it intends to create the world’s first dedicated reserve for this particular cetacean.
Dominica has some 200 species named after the waxy substance, spermaceti, which is found in their heads.
Sperm whales were a primary target of the commercial whaling industry from 1800 to 1987, and their population is still recovering and listed as an endangered species.
They have one of the most extensive global distributions of any marine mammal species, extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
Their population can be calculated by their distinctive echo-location “clicks” which can be heard over many tens of kilometres.
A survey team from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, now ATU, and the Scottish Sea Mammal Research Unit Consulting estimated 380 sperm whales in Irish waters in a study published three years ago.
Dominica’s prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said commercial fishing and large ships will be banned in an area off the island's western coast measuring almost 800 sq km (300 sq miles) under plans for the new reserve.
"Their ancestors likely inhabited Dominica before humans arrived. We want to ensure these majestic and highly intelligent animals are safe from harm and continue keeping our waters and our climate healthy," the prime minister said in a BBC report.
He said that commercial fishing will not be permitted in the reserve, while inshore or artisanal fishing which does not endanger the whales will be permitted.
Tourist numbers for viewing the whales will be restricted, and large ships will be required to use designated ocean corridors off the Caribbean island.
Irish waters within the exclusive economic zone were declared a whale and dolphin sanctuary in 1991.
Read the BBC report is here
