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Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
Battle for Guadalupe
The future of cage diving at Isla Guadalupe in Mexico is in the balance , after local authorities refused to issue fresh licences to boats .
Guadalupe , off Mexico ’ s Pacific coast , is one of the few places where divers can encounter great white sharks . It had emerged as the leading destination , offering the most reliable encounters in the clearest water . The island is a national park , closed to visitors for six months of the year . The great white season was supposed to see Guadalupe reopen on 1 July ; but for the first time in recent memory , permits were not issued .
SCUBA understands that the ‘ closure ’ was one of the final actions by a former park manager who now works for an NGO that is trying to take over the operation of Guadalupe from the parks service .
“ Undoing her proclamation is no easy thing ,” a boat operator told SCUBA . “ If the park service is allowed to get away with unilaterally keeping a park closed at Guadalupe , they can do it anywhere . It could be Cozumel , Playa del Carmen , Socorro , the Sea of Cortez ... there are 190
Fury for Freya
British Divers Marine Life Rescue led the chorus of dismay after the euthanising of Freya the walrus in Norway . The solitary walrus was put to sleep near Oslo by officials from Norway ’ s Directorate of Fisheries , after crowds of people ignored warnings to leave her alone .
Freya had been present in Europe since 2019 , and last year passed through Germany , the Netherlands and the UK before returning to Norway , where she spent most of her time . Recently she developed a habit of hauling out on boats , causing some damage , much in the same way as ‘ Wally ’ the walrus , who visited the UK last year .
“ In Wally ’ s case our team , in collaboration with many other organisations and authorities , were successfully able to mitigate for this behaviour by providing an alternative floating platform especially for him ,” BDMLR said in a statement . The British group also had a range of deterrent techniques at their disposal , in addition to a continuous physical presence at the scene .
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