218:, around 6000 BC. A recent discovery of dolphin remains in a Preceramic hunter-gatherer encampment on the Pearl Islands suggests that the ancient inhabitants of the islands did not only hunt small fish, but larger ones such as dolphins and sharks. The nutrient-rich water draws a significant amount of fish and sea animals to Panama Bay, giving the ancient hunter-gatherers a wide variety to choose from. Evidence was found that these inhabitants lived mainly off of fish and turtles in the bay, but dolphins and sharks were also exploited for their meat, bones, and oil. One major problem that researchers found was that it is unclear whether the primitive hunter-gatherers systematically hunted the dolphins, or merely herded them towards the islands until they became beached. Nonetheless, this is still an important discovery as it is the first Preceramic site identified in the Pearl Islands, as well as the first evidence in Central America that the early inhabitants exploited dolphins for food.
240:
Panamanian economy has grown over the years, so have the laws and policies relating to it, specifically marine policy. Marine resources in and around Panama Bay are key to many major industries such as farming and fishing, and over 80% of the surrounding population directly rely on them to survive. Although the laws that have been put into place over the years made major changes to the infrastructure and government, there are still major gaps in the enforcement and structure of these laws.
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how they would affect the bay is significant. Another great concern is the destruction and utilization of the mangroves in the bay. Both the wildlife in the bay and the human population rely on the mangroves for survival. The mangroves in the bay are also not only threatened by siltation by excessive erosion, dam construction, and pesticides from the local farms but also by the utilization of these mangroves for industrial farming.
261:, an international convention for the protection of wetlands of international importance. However, this status was temporarily suspended in 2012 by the Panamanian Government to protect Industry and farming. This sparked controversy amongst environmentalists, and in 2013 the bay regained protected status under the Panamanian Supreme Court, with the help and support of the Panama Audubon Society.
20:
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in 1914 was a major breakthrough in terms of international transport, as it formed Panama and the surrounding area as a new international hub of trade and transport. However, although it brought business to the area, the new boom in transport in the area took a major toll on the environment. As the
226:
There has been concern recently relating to the environmental health of Panama Bay, as the industry has grown significantly in the Panama City area in recent years, specifically the oil industry. Petroleum is both a major import and export of Panama City and as such, the concern for oil spills and
145:
Mangroves are an essential part of the bay ecosystem and habitats. These mangroves are crucial to the local bird species' long-term survival, as they provide shelter and nutrients to the local bird species. Over 20 species were documented in the bay at over 57 locations, mostly in the Pearl Island
109:
Tourism is a very large part of the
Panamanian economy, and much of it revolves around Panama Bay. The most popular attraction is the Pearl Islands, with its clear, nutrient-rich water and diverse wildlife drawing many tourists and divers to explore the archipelago. Since the Pearl Islands are the
315:
Jimenez, Jorge A. 1999. Ambiente, distribucĂon y caracterĂsticas estructurales en los manglares del PacĂfico de Centro AmĂ©rica: contrastes climáticos. Yáñez-Arancibia, Alejandro and Ana Laura Lara-DomĂnguez, editors. Ecosistemas de
Manglar en América Tropical. Instituto de Ecologia, A.C. Xalapa,
243:
Many of the laws put into place did not have the conservation of the environment in mind and mainly focused on business. Water treatment is a major problem in Panama Bay, as much of the once pure water is now polluted with sewage and chemical waste. Sewage treatment is poor in a large portion of
248:
and the surrounding areas draw clean drinking water from the Panama Canal watershed, but the recent boom in urbanization and pollution threatens the quality of the drinking water. The
Panamanian Government as well as non-governmental organizations are working towards the conservation of the
213:
Mangroves have also been used by local communities for centuries for their charcoal, long-lasting fuel wood, poles, and bark. They are still an important part of the local communities to this day. Since the seafood and nutrients are abundant in the waters of the bay, it has been proven an
268:
signed into law the ban on construction in the 210,000 acre area of the Bay of Panama, and declared the bay a "wetlands complex as a protected wildlife refuge area". This action was controversial within the
Panamanian Government as the previous president,
273:, was criticized by environmentalists for his neglect of the destruction of the mangroves in Panama Bay. This law was put into place mainly to conserve the mangrove forests and stop erosion, as well as to protect the habitats of the migratory shorebirds.
51:, where most of eastern Panama's southern shores adjoin it. The Gulf has a maximum width of 250 kilometres (160 mi; 130 nmi), a maximum depth of 220 metres (722 ft) and the size of 2,400 square kilometres (930 sq mi). The
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The climate in the Panama Bay region is extreme, ranging from an extreme dry season (January to April) to an extreme wet season (May to
December). This has had a major influence on the mangroves in the region since the dry season as well as
433:
Spalding, Ana K., Daniel O. Suman, and Maria
Eugenia Mellado. "Navigating the Evolution of Marine Policy in Panama: Current Policies and Community Responses in the Pearl Islands and Bocas Del Toro Archipelagos of Panama."
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D’Croz L. 1993. Status and uses of mangroves in the
Republic of Panamá. L.D. Lacerda, editor. Conservation and sustainable utilization of Mangrove Forests in Latin America and Africa Regions. Part 1; Volume
343:
Cooke, Richard G.; Wake, Thomas A.; MartĂnez-Polanco, MarĂa F.; JimĂ©nez-Acosta, Máximo; Bustamante, Fernando; Holst, Irene; Lara-Kraudy, Alexandra; MartĂn, Juan
Guillermo; Redwood, Stewart (2016).
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306:"Buscando Las Perlas: Aproximación Al Fenómeno Del Turismo Como Proceso Social Y Cultural En El Archipiélago De Las Perlas, Panamá." (2010): OAIster. Web. 15 February 2016.
114:, have been positively affected by the boom in tourism, as the Islanders believe it is good for the local economy. The local inhabitants of other islands such as
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most popular tourist destination in Panama Bay, the local communities have adapted and changed due to the touristic developments. Some islands, such as
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Panama, and due to the lack of proper waste management plants, raw sewage from sewage tanks is often dumped into the bay with little to no treatment.
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210:. The seabirds also are an indicator of the health of the fish, which rely on the nutrient-rich debris of the mangroves to survive.
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345:"Exploitation of dolphins (Cetacea: Delphinidae) at a 6000 yr old Preceramic site in the Pearl Island archipelago, Panama"
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497:"Environmental Issues: Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela Protects Wetlands Outside Panama City From Construction"
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to the east. The gulf has a few islands and on the coast there are a few important ports, like Panama City,
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watershed, but the loose laws towards industry and waste management make this hard to achieve.
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bring strong storms that can damage the mangroves and disrupt their reproductive cycles.
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also populating a large portion. The other most plentiful birds in the bay include the
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believe that tourism is bad for the islands, and wish to preserve the local culture.
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archipelago is a group of over two hundred islands situated to the east in the gulf.
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Angehr, George R. "Seabird and
Colonial Wading Bird Nesting in the Gulf of Panama."
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In 2009, Panama Bay was declared a "Wetland of
International Importance" by the
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advantageous place to live for thousands of years, dating back to the late
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MĂ©xico; UICN/ORMA Costa Rica; NOAA/NMFS Silver Spring MD USA.
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Waterbirds: The International Journal of Waterbird Biology
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The Gulf itself also contains a few minor gulfs, with
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474:"Panama Bay Regains Limited Protected Status"
150:are the most abundant birds in the bay, with
67:is the main urban centre on the gulf shore.
264:In February 2015, the Panamanian President
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349:Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
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476:. National Audubon Society. April 5, 2013
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383:. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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381:The Observatory of Economic Complexity
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55:connects the Gulf of Panama with the
438:62 (2015): 161–168. Web. 9 Feb. 2016
495:Ontiveros, Roberto (Feb 10, 2015).
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449:"Environmental Issues in Panama"
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63:oceans. The Panamanian capital
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23:Gulf of Panama with minor gulfs
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377:"Panama Imports and Exports"
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141:Gulf of Panama mangroves
738:Prince Gustaf Adolf Sea
200:magnificent frigatebird
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296:. World Wildlife Fund.
294:Terrestrial Ecoregions
222:Environmental concerns
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415:. World Wildlife Fund
329:30.3 (2007): 335-57.
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906:Gulf of St. Lawrence
531:8.08642°N 79.28284°W
333:. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.
253:Conservation efforts
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536:8.08642; -79.28284
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216:Preceramic Period
192:blue footed booby
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1422:
1403:
1277:Sea of Japan
1216:
1152:Bismarck Sea
1104:Persian Gulf
1089:Gulf of Suez
1084:Gulf of Oman
1064:Gulf of Aden
1031:Indian Ocean
1011:Thracian Sea
996:Sea of Crete
986:Sea of Ă…land
981:Sargasso Sea
956:Ligurian Sea
941:Labrador Sea
931:Irminger Sea
886:Gulf of Lion
841:Bothnian Sea
831:Bay of Fundy
806:Balearic Sea
771:Adriatic Sea
693:Beaufort Sea
675:Arctic Ocean
600:Amundsen Sea
512:
500:. Retrieved
490:
478:. Retrieved
468:
456:. Retrieved
452:
443:
435:
429:
417:. Retrieved
407:
397:
385:. Retrieved
380:
371:
352:
348:
338:
330:
326:
321:
311:
302:
293:
284:
263:
256:
242:
237:Panama Canal
234:
225:
212:
164:bridled tern
156:great egrets
144:
125:
108:
96:
69:
53:Panama Canal
28:
26:
1355:Caspian Sea
1327:Visayan Sea
1307:Solomon Sea
1302:Sibuyan Sea
1297:Shantar Sea
1252:Molucca Sea
1247:Mar de Grau
1177:Chilean Sea
1172:Celebes Sea
1167:Camotes Sea
1132:Arafura Sea
1044:Arabian Sea
1039:Andaman Sea
991:Sea of Azov
966:Myrtoan Sea
781:Alboran Sea
733:Pechora Sea
728:Lincoln Sea
698:Chukchi Sea
688:Barents Sea
665:Weddell Sea
635:Lazarev Sea
534: /
480:February 9,
458:15 February
355:: 733–756.
246:Panama City
208:snowy egret
204:great egret
196:brown booby
180:cocoi heron
172:glossy ibis
65:Panama City
1440:Categories
1391:Superocean
1365:Salton Sea
1332:Yellow Sea
1322:Tasman Sea
1267:Salish Sea
1147:Bering Sea
1054:Flores Sea
1021:Wadden Sea
951:Libyan Sea
921:Ionian Sea
916:Hudson Bay
861:Foxe Basin
851:Celtic Sea
811:Baltic Sea
801:Baffin Bay
776:Aegean Sea
748:Wandel Sea
723:Laptev Sea
655:Scotia Sea
640:Mawson Sea
522:79°16′58″W
168:white ibis
160:sooty tern
72:Panama Bay
1287:Seram Sea
1257:Moro Gulf
1182:Coral Sea
1162:Bohol Sea
1157:Bohai Sea
1142:Banda Sea
1114:Timor Sea
971:North Sea
936:James Bay
926:Irish Sea
836:Black Sea
753:White Sea
660:Somov Sea
620:Davis Sea
519:8°05′11″N
135:Mangroves
116:Contadora
1424:Category
1360:Dead Sea
1350:Aral Sea
1317:Sulu Sea
1272:Savu Sea
1242:Koro Sea
1237:Java Sea
1137:Bali Sea
718:Kara Sea
650:Ross Sea
146:region.
84:La Palma
61:Atlantic
1109:Red Sea
419:Feb 14,
129:El Niño
122:Climate
105:Tourism
43:of the
39:) is a
33:Spanish
1374:Others
580:oceans
502:Feb 9,
387:Feb 9,
206:, and
90:. The
88:Chitrè
49:Panama
1381:Ocean
576:Earth
331:JSTOR
277:Notes
99:Tuira
584:seas
582:and
504:2016
482:2016
460:2016
421:2016
389:2016
154:and
86:and
41:gulf
27:The
1386:Sea
578:'s
357:doi
1442::
451:.
402:2.
379:.
351:.
347:.
292:.
202:,
198:,
194:,
190:,
186:,
182:,
178:,
174:,
170:,
166:,
162:,
35::
568:e
561:t
554:v
506:.
484:.
462:.
423:.
391:.
365:.
359::
353:6
31:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
