Dear Marmamers, on behalf of my coauthors, I am very pleased to announce the publication of a short note on the first record of the common minke whale in Haiti, Greater Antilles. The note can be donwloaded from LAJAM's website at: First record of gillnet entanglement of a common minke whale calf (Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Lacépède, 1804) in Haiti, Greater Antilles, with a note on the local and regional fishing techniques | Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 



 A brief summary of the note (not included in the publication) is provided at the end of this message. 

Brief summary 
Information on the presence of the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in tropical waters is scarce, but the Caribbean Sea has historically been considered a wintering ground for the population of the North Atlantic Ocean. In February 2017, a small whale got entangled and drowned in a single layer gillnet, off Côte des Arcadins, Gulf of Gonave, Haiti, in the Greater Antilles (approx. 18°55’27” N, 72°39’44” W,
Fig. 1). The entanglement of cetaceans in fishing gear, both active and ghost, has been noted as an increasing issue of concern for the Caribbean Sea. At least 18 of the marine mammal species that occur in the Caribbean Sea have been recorded as interacting with fishing gear, and at least 16 species of marine mammals have been documented as bycatch in artisanal and commercial fishing gear, including longlines, gillnets, trawls, beach seines, and traps.This is the first confirmed record of the presence of the species in Haitian waters, contributing to the growing knowledge of threats and the spatiotemporal distribution of the species in the WCR.

Warm regards

Jaime Bolaños Jiménez