In , even the International Monetary Fund turned its attention to the startling economics of whale conservation. As a whale biologist, for decades I have always remembered the tales told by old whalers in the communities I have lived and worked — from Shetland to the Azores, New Zealand and New Caledonia — where, back in the day, there were so many whales you could walk right across a bay on the backs of humpbacks.
Or so they said. My experience in the Antarctic made me think of these tales and gives me hope that we can work towards recovery of other populations and species, for everyone to enjoy, not just the privileged few like me.
And each one is utterly unique: the pattern of white and black blotches on the underside of their tail fluke is as individual as a human fingerprint.
Comparing our images with a global database of humpbacks, we were able to identify 49 humpback whales whilst on the Greenpeace expedition. All humpbacks in their feeding grounds are busy and are trying to get fat. Mir was first identified in off the Pacific Coast of Panama, and has been photographed returning to Antarctic waters in three subsequent summers, providing direct evidence of how these whales cover extensive areas of the oceans.
These data can help us understand just how far these magnificent creatures travel and how much ocean they depend on. Some whales are still being hunted. Some species, such as blue whales have not yet recovered from the impact of commercial whaling. They all face a myriad of interacting human-induced threats — ocean noise, chemical and plastic pollution, collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing nets, poor fisheries management and climate change.
The humpback recovery in Antarctic waters is also an example of what can happen when governments come together to protect our global oceans. We have the tools and the science.
He said it's now believed 42 whales died in , but many were not counted at the time because they were never spotted floating dead in the water or washing up on coastlines. Canada's federal government has taken protection measures, such as temporary and permanent fisheries closures, particularly in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and speed limits on vessels in areas where the right whales are known to frequent. Lawrence, I think we're seeing significant improvements.
But both Kraus and Hamilton say that because the whales move around so frequently in search for food, larger areas need to be closed off. Kraus said many of the whales are also not getting enough to eat, which means they're travelling more in search of new feeding grounds and spending more energy — which makes it difficult for females to reproduce.
While about a third of the right whales head to the Gulf of St. Lawrence to feed in the summer months, scientists at this point are unclear where the rest of them go during that time. The latest population estimates do not include the seven calves born in and the 10 born this year. Two of those calves have already been killed. The new calves are not included in the population catalog because they need to be spotted again after at least six months when they have developed unique markings, which Hamilton said can take years.
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