Oceana Belize is reporting tonight that a 30-foot Humpback Whale, died off the coast of Barranco Village. Scientists suspect that the whale may have been lost or sick, but it's troubles in Belize were compounded by the fact that it was caught in gill nets believed to have been set by Guatemalan fishermen.
The whale was seen in the waters of Southern Belize, and Oceana says that it struggled to stay alive in Belize for an entire month before it died today. Oceana says that the whale moved around freely until it was caught in a gill net belonging to Guatemalan fishermen, most likely one of those we told you about in our last segment. It was trapped in that gillnet.
While our news team was on the way to Sarstoon on Friday to see if there had been reinforcements of Guatemalan troops at that Border, we encountered the whale struggling. Border Activist Wil Maheia, who was once a part of the Conservation community, told us what he observed when he jumped into the sea to try to render aid:
Oceana says that a necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. They note that the humpback whale population is estimated at 80,000. They have an expected life span of 50 years, but they continue to be impacted by ship collisions, noise pollution, and in this case, entanglement of fishing gear.
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