Regional government protects migrating whales off the Marina Alta (Alicante) coast

THE Maritime Surveillance Service will identify pleasure craft that harass or disturb migrating whales passing through Valencian Community waters.

Mireia Molla, who heads the regional government’s Environment department, announced the measure during her recent visit to Lisbon, where she was attending the UN Ocean Conference.

The Maritime Surveillance Service’s patrol boats based in Denia, Javea and Calpe were originally introduced in a pioneering service to ensure that moored yachts and other craft do not harm the area’s extensive underwater meadows of Posidonia.

Maritime Surveillance began operating in early June, and Molla announced during her Lisbon visit that that they will also guarantee protection for the whales, as well as “responsible conduct towards them” along the region’s coast in general and the Marina Alta in particular.

Boats, yachts and launches that fail to comply with regulations will be identified and face future fines, the Environment department chief revealed.

Molla also announced that she plans to request a meeting with the seagoing and nautical sector, calling on them to comply with current laws that prohibits the hunting of whales, dolphins and porpoises or coming within 60 metres of them.

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