It’s the International Year of the Dolphin and thoughts are at last turning to how to protect them and other cetacean species such as whales. Last week a major conference took place at the Magma centre in Las Americas, with delegates from West African nations joining with experts from the Canary Islands.
Agreement was reached to promote Macronesia, that’s the Canary Islands, The Azores and Madeira, as a sanctuary for whales and dolphins, with all the governments involved committed to protecting these endangered species.
The Tenerife ministry of the Interior has threatened to hit whale and dolphin watching excursion companies with fines of up to 300,000 euros if they break the code of conduct for watching these graceful creatures.
Freebird welcomes these new moves, as they have always been committed to responsible tourism and have a deep respect for all sea creatures. If you want to see the full guidelines that Freebird operate by, look at the Eco Policy section on the Freebird Sailing website.
On many of Freebird’s catamaran trips, you will meet volunteers from the Atlantic Whale Foundation. These students carry out research and plot the progress of the many dolphins and whales, a third of all known species, that pass through or are native to the Canary Islands.
There are few more uplifting sights in nature than dolphins and whales cavorting in the waves, it’s a sight freebird intend to be bale to bring you for many years to come.