Good news for those under threat Frank Whale from the South Atlantic. It was registered by the Whale Conservation Institute of the country in question during the annual photo ID check on 31 August and 2 September on the Valdés Peninsula (Argentina). 1,420 right whales, the maximum number of individuals observed in the 51-year studies.
On August 31 and September 2, the 51st annual weather check was carried out to photograph the right whales of Península Valdés: in 1,420 whales recorded, including 554 calves In the waters of Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José. This amount represents a record 51 years of work, because the maximum number of whales recorded since these surveys began in 1971.
51 years of flights to photograph the right whales
Like our fingerprints, right whales have a unique callus pattern on their heads that does not change over the years. This feature allows to identify them from aerial photographs. This finding made by Dr. Roger Payne In 1970 he started the research program that has been carried out jointly since 1996. Whale Conservation Institute Y Ocean Alliance.
Every year Argentina conducts aerial operations to photograph the southern right whales of the Península Valdés. With this technique, database and the most complete catalog of known individuals available for the speciesmore than that 4,000 whales spotted. Each new record of a known whale adds relevant information for understanding population dynamics.
During the two-day flight they took 12,500 photos will be analyzed by the ICB scientific team led by researcher Victoria Rowntree to add new entries to the catalogue.
Although the whales are counted during the flights, the main purpose of the expeditions is to identify individuals by photo, especially young females and failing to take a census to count all animals. In other words, as they noted, there are even more whales in the area.
Whales that didn’t exist before
this Mariano SironiThe scientific director of the ICB explained: “During the expedition in San José Bay, we observed whales in sectors that were usually absent or very few at the time of our flight, such as the Punta Buenos Aires base and the sector near it. Riacho Saint Joseph. There were many this year, and this increased flight hours because we had to make many more circles than usual to complete the entire circumference of the bay. a Totally Outstanding Thanks because of the very high number of whales compared to previous years.”
“From the air, we saw many white calves known as gray morphs, adult whales in courtship and mating groups, newborn calves and females swimming slowly in the calm sea, some groups of dolphins, and impressive views of the cliffs. It makes the experience during flights beautiful, emotional and very stimulating,” he added.
The population of whales in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean it heals very slowly After facing four centuries of massacres by boats from Portugal, Spain, France, the United States, Britain and the former Soviet Union.
Whales have a high body fat percentage. With the oil, an oil was produced in Europe that served as a fuel for lighting, heating and cooking lamps.
There were 58,000 copies in the 17th century
Following research recently published in the journal Scientific Reportsscientists It is estimated that there were 58,000 southern right whales in the Southwest Atlantic in the early 17th century. But with commercial exploitation only 2,000 copies remained by 1830. In 1935, the species was protected by international regulations and hunting was prohibited. But not everyone respected the norm, reports the Infobae portal.
For example, in 1962 ships flying the flag of the former Soviet Union illegally captured 1,335 whales in international waters. “Illegal captures have slowed the population’s recovery. Today there are 5,000 individuals of right whales all over the Southwest Atlantic. In other words, only 8.6% of the original population that currently existed before exploitation has been rescued,” stressed Romero. In Argentina, the southern right whale has been declared a “natural monument” by law since 1984.
Although slow, the population recovery is good news. “Continuing improvement means we are on the right track and need to continue the current effort without allowing fishing. Alejandra Romero, a scientist at the ‘Almirante Storni’ Center for Applied Research and Technology Transfer in Marine Resources (CIMAS-CONICET), accessed the aforementioned portal. More work will be needed to explore the impact of climate change and current navigation, he said.
As a result of the recovery, tourists and residents of more coastal cities in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina are likely to enjoy whale watching in the future. “Right whales are recolonizing territories they occupied centuries ago off the coast of Brazil, Uruguay, and near the coast of Río Negro and the province of Buenos Aires,” adds Romero.
Reference article: https://www.infobae.com/america/ciencia-america/2022/04/16/se-cazaron-para-illuminar-europa-y-hoy-recolonizan-el-atlantico-sur-la-history -southern-right whales/
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