Desecheo Island

Coordinates: 18°23′14″N 67°28′19″W / 18.38722°N 67.47194°W / 18.38722; -67.47194
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Desecheo
Sabanetas
Satellite image
Desecheo from Rincón

Desecheo (

Mona Island. It has a land area of 0.589 sq mi (377 acres; 153 ha; 1.53 km2). Politically, the island is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge
, but part of the Sabanetas barrio of Mayagüez.

Flora and fauna

Desecheo, which has no known bodies of

rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) introduced from Cayo Santiago in 1967 as part of a study on adaptation. Before the introduction of rhesus monkeys the island was the largest nesting colony of the brown booby
, however, no species presently nests on the island.

Geology

Although politically part of Puerto Rico, along with the islands of

Mona and Monito, Desecheo is not geologically related to the main island. It is believed that the island has been isolated, at least, since the Pliocene.[1] However, the island is part of the Rio Culebrinas formation which suggests that it was once connected to Puerto Rico.[2]

History

No evidence of

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and in 1983 it was designated as a National Wildlife Refuge. In 2000 it received a Marine reserve designation and fishing is allowed within 1/2 mile around the island.[4]

On May 12, 2022, 11 Haitian migrants died, 31 were rescued and others were feared missing, near Desecheo Island after their boat capsized on its way to Puerto Rico, from Haiti.[5]

Conservation and Restoration

In the early

1900s, Desecheo NWR was still a major nesting ground for thousands of seabirds. Approximately 15,000 brown boobies, 2,000 red-footed boobies (Sula sula), 2,000 brown noddies (Anous stolidus), 1,500 bridled terns (Onychoprion anaethetus), and hundreds of magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens), laughing gulls (Larus atricilla), and sooty terns (Onychoprion fuscatus) nested here.[6]

Invasive mammals, including goats and rats, began to impact Desecheo NWR early in the 20th century. Around and during the time of World War II, the island was used as an artillery range by the US Air Force. That and the invasive species’ damage to Desecheo's ecosystem have been severe, and by the turn of the millennium, virtually no seabirds were using the refuge. [6] In response, in 2016 the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Island Conservation, and other key partners, including the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Bell Laboratories and Tomcat, worked together to remove invasive black rats and Rhesus macaques from the island.[7][8][9][10]

One year later, Desecheo Island was declared free of invasive species, and signs of recovery were observed, including Audubon's shearwaters sighted on the island for the first time and new bridled tern nests discovered. [11][6][12] In addition, 72 Federally protected Higo Chumbo cactus, (Harrisia portoricensis), were found and measured pre (2003-2010) and post eradication (2017). In 2017, individuals with flowers and huge yellow fruits were observed which is a good sign for the overall reproductive status of the population.[13][14]

Since 2018, social attraction equipment has been installed to augment bridled tern and brown noddy colonies and establish a species of conservation concern, the Audubon's shearwater.[15]

Diving

Because of a healthy reef and clear waters, with common visibility ranging from 98 to 148 feet (30 to 45 m), Desecheo is a very popular place for diving enthusiasts. Although diving is permitted around the island, the refuge is closed to the public due to the presence of unexploded military ordinances. Trespassers are subject to arrest by Federal law enforcement officers.

Amateur radio

As a separately administered area, under

callsign). The Fish & Wildlife Service currently restricts such operations. The first approved DXpedition in fifteen years was allowed on the island between February 12 and 26, 2009, making 115,787 contacts.[16][17] Attempts to allow public access to Desecheo and the island of Navassa, which is located between Haiti and Jamaica, were made in the U.S. Congress, but the bill failed to reach the floor of the House of Representatives prior to the end of the 109th Congress, rendering the proposal dead.[18]

See also

References

Citations
  1. (PDF) on February 21, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2006.
  2. UPR-Mayagüez Departament of Biology Herbarium. Archived from the original
    on April 21, 2002. Retrieved July 10, 2006.
  3. ^ Desecheo - Welcome to Puerto Rico.org. Retrieved on August 14, 2006.
  4. ^ Guia Informativa para la Pesca Recreativa en Puerto Rico (aka, Reglamento de Pesca de Puerto Rico). Caribbeanfmc.com. Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales. Negociado de Pesca y Vida Silvestre. 3rd Edition. 2011. Appendix 2. Page 20. Accessed 24 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Eleven dead after Haitian migrant vessel capsizes near Puerto Rico". Reuters. May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c May 2, 2020 (June 27, 2017). "Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge safe from invasive mammals after nearly 100 years". Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. US Fish & Wildlife.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ "Applying lessons learnt from tropical rodent eradications: a second attempt to remove invasive rats from Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico" (PDF). ISSG. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "Rhesus macaque eradication to restore the ecological integrity of Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico". IUCN. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "Restoring Wildlife Habitat on Desecheo Island". USFWS. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  10. ^ "Desecheo Island Restoration Project". Island Conservation.
  11. ^ "Seabirds Return to Desecheo Island One Year After Restoration". Island Conservation. June 27, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "After Nearly a Century, Desecheo Wildlife can Thrive Again". Island Conservation. June 27, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  13. ISSN 1863-5407
    .
  14. ^ "The Threatened Higo Chumbo Cactus Resurges on Desecheo Island!". Island Conservation. November 29, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  15. ISSN 2688-8319
    .
  16. ^ "American Hams to Lead 2009 DXpedition to Desecheo Island". ARRL.org. October 10, 2008. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  17. ^ "K5D - Desecheo Island 2009". KP5.us. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  18. ^ "News / Updates". KP1-5.com. October 19, 2005. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
Other information

External links