Volume 77
Marine Megafauna Research Expedition: Establishing a Bilateral Marine Protected Area Around the Beata Ridge, Dominican Republic
Authors
Jonathan Delance, Dorka Y. Evangelista-Pérez, Javier Matos, Alba Caamaño, Arisaura Salcedo, Dahiana Guzmán, Samuel King Rachel Plekaniec, Michael Del Rosario, Aileen De La Cruz, Aurelio Reyes, Rebecca Garcia, Judith Brown, Daniel Crockett, Edgar Fernando Dorado-Roncancio, Juan Manuel Polo Osorio, Louise Simon, Lucas Bernier, Stacey Mac Donald, Tadzio Bervoets, Valentin Teillard, Kate Charles Carolina De Hostos, Raven Hoflund, Nina Lysenko, and Jeffrey Bernus Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2024
Event: Proceedings of the Seventy-Seventh Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Gosier
Country: Guadeloupe, French West Indies
Abstract
The Beata Ridge Marine Megafauna Expedition, conducted from January to February 2024, represents the first scientific expedition to support the Dominican Republic's efforts to establish a bilateral Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the southwestern marine territory of the country as part of a joint effort between the Colombian and Dominican governments. Four 5-day expeditions were conducted, following pre-established routes. The study area begins approximately 20 km from Isla Beata and extends over 12,674 km² to the south-southwest. With a length of 450 km and a width of 300 km, it is one of the most important underwater structures in the Caribbean. The ridge has a complex morphology and varies in depth from 1500 to 4400 km.