Mulegé, Baja California Sur (BCS). In the last 30 years, over 25,000 gray whale specimens have been born in the lagoons of
Ojo de Liebre and
San Ignacio, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. During the same period 735 whales have died, mostly adults over 30 years old.
According to data from locl environmental authorities, almost 90% of the gray whales in the American continent, see the light for the first time in
Ojo de Liebre and
San Ignacio, while the rest are born in other lagoons located further south along the Mexican coast.
Among the causes of death is natural death and others due to starvation, weakness or malnutrition, after the trip they make from the north pole to the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve off the coasts of Baja California Sur.
Whale watching in Baja Sur (Photo: bcsnoticias.mx)
Environmental authorities stated that both the mortality and the births of the species behave in an irregular manner, depending on the climatic conditions.
The year in which there were more deaths was in 2000, with 81 death specimens registered, while in 1995 only 5 were recorded.
Almost all of the dead whales are detected when they roam on the beaches and few at sea, when they are newborns attacked by predators; In both cases, the bodies are integrated into the sea after a period of decomposition.
Finally, some researchers point out that the mortality is directly linked to the effects of
El Niño and
La Niña weather phenomena that, among other factors, decrease or increase the water temperature in atypical ways, causing the sea fauna to die in many cases.
The Riviera Maya Times Newsroom with information from :
http://www.thebajapost.com/Comments
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