A prominent international coalition dedicated to marine mammal conservation has issued a formal public appeal to the government of Antigua and Barbuda, calling on the Caribbean nation to halt what the group describes as unfair scapegoating of whale populations for ongoing challenges facing the local commercial fishing sector.
The coalition, which brings together dozens of marine ecologists, conservation organizations and indigenous ocean advocacy groups from around the globe, argues that current claims linking declining fish catches to whale feeding activity are not backed by peer-reviewed scientific data. Instead, the coalition points to overfishing, climate change-driven ocean warming, and habitat degradation as the primary drivers of reduced fish stocks in regional waters.
Conservation leaders warn that targeting whales not only undermines decades of progress in protecting endangered and vulnerable baleen whale populations that migrate through the Caribbean each year, but also distracts policymakers from implementing evidence-based reforms needed to restore the long-term sustainability of local fisheries. The group has offered to partner with the Antigua and Barbuda government to conduct independent, transparent research on marine ecosystem dynamics, as well as to support sustainable fishing initiatives that balance livelihood needs with marine biodiversity protection.
As of the coalition’s latest statement, the Antigua and Barbuda government has not yet issued a formal response to the appeal.