Together with Dolfi Debrot and Meike Scheidat Richard Witte provided in 2011 a synoptic overview and update of the marine mammals of the Dutch Caribbean EEZ based on 279 cetacean sighting and stranding records. The Dutch Caribbean EEZ is composed of two distinct sectors. One is centered around the leeward Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao (71,000 km² ) while the other is centered around the windward Dutch islands of Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten (22,000 km² ). The previous principal review (of cetaceans) dating from 1998, was based on only 70 records from the leeward sector and confirmed the occurrence of some 13 species for Dutch Kingdom waters. With a 4-fold increase in number of records, 19 species could be documented for the Dutch Kingdom waters (18 species in the leeward sector and 8 species in the windward sector).
Although not endemic, the marine mammal fauna of the Dutch Caribbean is evidently rich and varied but continues to suffer man-induced mortality and disturbance. Several nations, including the USA, the Dominican Republic and France, have established marine mammal sanctuaries in Caribbean waters. The Netherlands should consider doing the same. The making of this article contributed to the designation of the Saba Bank as a national park and its international recognition as an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA) and a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). Since this article the Saba and its surrounding waters, including the Saba Bank, are known for being a critical area for whale migration and breeding, particularly for humpback whales.
Past decade new whale and dolphin sighting occurred in the Dutch Caribean. This includes for instance the Fraser dolphin. By now its time to update the overview made before. Richard is working on this, again together with Dolfi Debrot.
