The report has been filed! Off the coast of Tenerife, seven tourists disregarded a protected area for whales and swam with the marine mammals despite the ban. The fine for such misconduct is up to 60,000 euros.
The Guardia Civil has already launched an investigation. This is being conducted through the Financial and Border Protection Authority, as the ZEC protected area is situated in the waters off the largest of the Canary Islands.
Failure to respect the pilot whale protection zone is considered a serious breach of the Canary Islands‘ environmental regulations. Fines are graded according to the severity of the offence and can reach substantial amounts in extreme cases.
Tenerife tourists disregard whale protection zone
The incident took place around two weeks ago. However, videos of it have only just come to light. A clip appeared in a WhatsApp group and, after a series of twists and turns and some delay, eventually reached the police in Tenerife.
The clip shows seven people swimming in the immediate vicinity of the whales. As the marine mammals swim past the people, who have since been identified as tourists, some of them dive underwater to watch the animals:
Meanwhile, the Guardia Civil established that the group had hired a boat and set out on it onto the sea. During the trip, the holidaymakers spotted the whales and jumped into the water to join them.
This constituted a breach of Royal Decree 1727/2007. It prohibits swimming and diving with the animals within a protected zone, without exception.
Tourists dive with whales – and hope for leniency
The friends claimed they were unaware of the law. The investigators were unimpressed by this. In accordance with the principle that ‚ignorance is no defence‘, a report was filed nonetheless.
The Canary Islands are considered to be the area in Europe with the largest whale population. It was reported that the protection of these animals is strictly enforced and taken seriously. It is now likely that a judge will have to decide on the severity of the penalty.
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