Abstract

The Megara (MEGAptera Reproduction Area) project, initiated in 2014 and continued in 2019, focused on monitoring and tagging humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Anguilla Bank, particularly off Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin. By tracking their migration during the reproductive season within the Northern Lesser Antilles, the project aimed to improve understanding of their movements in relation to political boundaries and marine protected areas (MPAs) or sanctuaries. Tracking eight and six whales in 2014 and 2019 respectively, with SPOT 5 and 6 satellite tags, for an average of 20 ± 25 days (max = 45 days) revealed an unexpected strong connectivity between the waters of the Northern Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles, and Bermuda. During that time, humpback whales travelled back and forth between (a) Saint-Martin (French and Dutch sides) Anguilla, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Statia, Antigua and Barbuda, and Guadeloupe, (b) Bermuda, and (c) the British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic (Silver Bank), crossing multiple MPAs. Humpback whales therefore seem to be a shared «resource» among the islands and countries of the region, highlighting the importance of regional cooperation and offering scientific support for a larger transboundary marine sanctuary and corridors. Collaborations between Sanctuaries and MPAs across the entire breeding grounds of HUMPBACK whales in the Northern Lesser Antilles might promote a common strategy for joint conservation efforts and scientific research. This new knowledge should enable better management of commercial activities and transport routes to efficiently protect this marine migratory species and conserve marine biodiversity as a whole.