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Whales and Dolphins in the Cape VerdesHumpback whales in Murdeira BayWhales can be seen passing the Churrasco restaurant in June and July on their long migration south to the Antarctic seas. The Cape Verdes lived from whaling in the bad old days. Numbers are much reduced. In summer a few sperm and right whales bring their calves into Murdeira Villas Bay for weaning. You may be lucky enough to see them from a hired boat from Murdeira Villas resort. There are also dolphins at times.Many other fish can be seen by divers at the right times of year including the massive plankton-eating whale shark .Despite 650 years of human settlement, Cape Verde still hosts a high degree of biodiversity, featuring many species of animals and plants that are found nowhere else, according to WWF. The surrounding waters of the Atlantic Ocean provide important feeding grounds for marine turtles and breeding humpback whales, as well as fishing grounds for both local and international fishers. Recent studies have also found coral reefs of global significance off the coast of several of the islands.With help from WWF and Natura 2000, the Government has identified and declared 47 protected areas throughout the archipelago. "There are rays of hope as the Government starts to realize that it must take the protection of the environment seriously." says Celeste Benchimol of WWF Cape Verde. He urges. "They need to strengthen their environmental legislation, as well as conduct environmental impact assessments. These should be carried out by independent experts and not by tourism investors themselves."Portuguese colonists started primitive whaling in the 16th Century. American whalers came to hunt sperm whales from the 1760s. They started to collect crew in Brava from the 1800s often decommission them in Boston. A whaling station was built there in the 1870s. American whalers sharply reduced the population of humpback whales throughout the century. Portuguese whaling companies set up in Tarrafal, on Sao Nicolau
in 1874, and in Sal in 1883. Whaling stations existed until 1912
on Sao Nicolau and Maio, but by then there were too few whales left
to make it viable. Humback and Sperm whale are still to be seen
but they are a rarity thanks to the success of 19th Century whaling..
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