scholarly journals Have whales returned to a historical hotspot of industrial whaling? The pattern of southern right whale Eubalaena australis recovery at South Georgia

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 323-339
Author(s):  
JA Jackson ◽  
A Kennedy ◽  
M Moore ◽  
A Andriolo ◽  
CCG Bamford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Observation ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Lower Latitude ◽  
The South ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Eubalaena Australis ◽  
Antarctic Waters ◽  
Skin Biopsies ◽  
Strong Contrast

Around 176500 whales were killed in the sub-Antarctic waters off South Georgia (South Atlantic) between 1904 and 1965. In recent decades, whales have once again become summer visitors, with the southern right whale (SRW) the most commonly reported species until 2011. Here, we assess the distribution, temporal pattern, health status and likely prey of SRWs in these waters, combining observations from a summertime vessel-based expedition to South Georgia, stable isotope data collected from SRWs and putative prey and sightings reports collated by the South Georgia Museum. The expedition used directional acoustics and visual surveys to localise whales and collected skin biopsies and photo-IDs. During 76 h of visual observation effort over 19 expedition days, SRWs were encountered 15 times (~31 individuals). Photo-IDs, combined with publicly contributed images from commercial vessels, were reconciled and quality-controlled to form a catalogue of 6 fully (i.e. both sides) identified SRWs and 26 SRWs identified by either left or right sides. No photo-ID matches were found with lower-latitude calving grounds, but 3 whales had gull lesions supporting a direct link with Península Valdés, Argentina. The isotopic position of SRWs in the South Georgia food web suggests feeding on a combination of copepod and krill species. Opportunistic reports of SRW sightings and associated group sizes remain steady over time, while humpback whales provide a strong contrast, with increased sighting rates and group sizes seen since 2013. These data suggest a plateau in SRWs and an increasing humpback whale presence in South Georgia waters following the cessation of whaling.

MHC class II expression in skin biopsies from the franciscana dolphin Pontoporia blainvillei and the southern right whale Eubalaena australis

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 1009-1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa Heinzelmann ◽  
Maurício Tavares ◽  
Paulo H. Ott ◽  
Ignacio M.B. Moreno ◽  
José Artur B. Chies
Keyword(s):  
Mhc Class Ii ◽  
Balancing Selection ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Exon 2 ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Eubalaena Australis ◽  
Skin Biopsies ◽  
Pontoporia Blainvillei ◽  
First Time ◽  
Franciscana Dolphin

Presently, there is no information about the functionality of the immune system in the franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei), a small dolphin from southern Brazil. As in the case of the franciscana, the population of southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) which inhabits Brazilian waters has not yet been surveyed in what concerns MHC expression. For the first time it was possible to observe the DQB gene expression in skin of these two species of cetacean using RT-PCR. Skin pieces of the animals were collected to RNA extraction. The fragment corresponding to DQB exon 2 was amplified, cloned and sequenced. A total of five alleles were found, one to franciscana and four to southern right whale. The observed dN/dS ratio of 2.77 (P = 0.03) suggests that this gene is under balancing selection pressure (positive Darwinian selection). The sequences indicate that, in both species analysed, the DQB gene is functional.

scholarly journals A Potential Nursing Ground for the Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis in Northern Chile

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. García-Cegarra ◽  
Maritza Malebran ◽  
Koen Van Waerebeek
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Marine Spatial Planning ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Eubalaena Australis ◽  
High Resolution Images ◽  
Shipping Traffic

The Chile-Peru subpopulation (CPe) of the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is classified as critically endangered following intense whaling in past centuries. Due to their very low abundance, information on breeding and feeding grounds is also scarce. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly applied in marine mammal research thanks to their low cost and relative ease of use. This case study documents a southern right whale nursing in Bahía Moreno (23ºS), Antofagasta, northern Chile, through high-resolution images taken by UAV of a lone adult in July 2019 and the same (photo-identified) whale with a neonate in August, confirming local parturition. Combined with earlier data we hypothesize that the Antofagasta Region may be a calving and nursing ground for the CPe subpopulation. Given the intense shipping traffic and fishing activities around the Mejillones Peninsula and Antofagasta port, priorly recommended marine spatial planning to help avoid net entanglements and vessel collisions of fin and humpback whales would also contribute to the conservation of the CPe stock of southern right whale.

scholarly journals Very low numbers of endangered Oceania humpback whales seen in Fijian waters

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Miller ◽  
A. Batibasiga ◽  
S. Sharma-Gounder ◽  
P. Solomona
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Large Decrease ◽  
The South ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Antarctic Waters ◽  
Commercial Whaling

Intensive commercial whaling caused significant declines in Southern Hemisphere humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations. In Fiji, land-based humpback whale surveys undertaken from 1956 to 1958 documented maximum weekly counts of more than 150 humpback whales in parts of the Bligh waters. These records provide an invaluable point of comparison to present-day observations as they occurred immediately prior to very large humpback whale catches in Antarctic waters to the south – and on potential migration routes – of humpback whales breeding in Fijian waters. We report here on a three-year (2010–2012) land-based survey also conducted in the Bligh waters during which a total of 33 individuals over 480 h were counted from Ovalau Island and 68 individuals over approximately 300 h were observed from Makogai Island. These findings suggest a large decrease in numbers of humpback whales seen in Fiji waters since commercial whaling operations.

Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae and southern right whales Eubalaena australis in Gerlache Strait, Antarctica

Polar Record ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 24 (148) ◽  
pp. 15-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory S. Stone ◽  
William M. Hamner
Keyword(s):  
Open Water ◽  
Euphausia Superba ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Eubalaena Australis ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
Southern Right Whales ◽  
The Right

AbstractDuring surveys conducted 2–20 April 1986 in Gerlache Strait, Antarctic Peninsula, 103 humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae and eight right whales Eubalaena australis were sighted. The right whale sightings extend the southern limit of known distribution for the species. Humpback and right whale densities were respectively 0.22 (sd 0.23) and 0.01 (sd 0.06) whales per survey mile. Highest densities for both species were recorded inside bays, rather than in the relatively open water of Gerlache Strait. Both species were feeding on Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. Twenty-three humpback and four right whales were identified individually using photographs of natural features. Also included are sighting records of 18 southern bottlenose whales Hyperoodon planifrons.

scholarly journals Antofagasta Region in northern Chile, a potential nursing ground for the Southern right whale Eubalaena australis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Garcia Cegarra ◽  
Maritza Malebran ◽  
Koen Van Waerebeek
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Marine Spatial Planning ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Eubalaena Australis ◽  
High Resolution Images ◽  
Shipping Traffic

The Chile-Peru subpopulation (CPe) of the Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is classified as Critically Endangered following intense whaling in past centuries. Due to their very low abundance, information on breeding and feeding grounds is also scarce. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly applied in marine mammal research thanks to their low cost and relative ease of use. This case study documents a Southern right whale nursing in Bahía Moreno (23º S), Antofagasta, in northern Chile through high-resolution images taken by UAV of an adult in July 2019 and the same whale with a neonate in August. Combined with earlier data we hypothesize that the Antofagasta Region may be a potential calving and nursing ground for the CPe subpopulation. Given the intense shipping traffic and fishing activities around the Mejillones Peninsula and Antofagasta port, priorly recommended marine spatial planning to help avoid net entanglements and vessel collisions of fin and humpback whales may also contribute to the conservation of the CPe stock.

scholarly journals Genetic Diversity and Connectivity of Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) Found in the Brazil and Chile–Peru Wintering Grounds and the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) Feeding Ground

2020 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma L Carroll ◽  
Paulo H Ott ◽  
Louise F McMillan ◽  
Bárbara Galletti Vernazzani ◽  
Petra Neveceralova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Data ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
South American ◽  
The South ◽  
Wintering Grounds ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Feeding Ground ◽  
Eubalaena Australis ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
Southern Right Whales

Abstract As species recover from exploitation, continued assessments of connectivity and population structure are warranted to provide information for conservation and management. This is particularly true in species with high dispersal capacity, such as migratory whales, where patterns of connectivity could change rapidly. Here we build on a previous long-term, large-scale collaboration on southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) to combine new (nnew) and published (npub) mitochondrial (mtDNA) and microsatellite genetic data from all major wintering grounds and, uniquely, the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur: SG) feeding grounds. Specifically, we include data from Argentina (npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 208/46), Brazil (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 50/50), South Africa (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 66/77, npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 350/47), Chile–Peru (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 1/1), the Indo-Pacific (npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 769/126), and SG (npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 8/0, nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 3/11) to investigate the position of previously unstudied habitats in the migratory network: Brazil, SG, and Chile–Peru. These new genetic data show connectivity between Brazil and Argentina, exemplified by weak genetic differentiation and the movement of 1 genetically identified individual between the South American grounds. The single sample from Chile–Peru had an mtDNA haplotype previously only observed in the Indo-Pacific and had a nuclear genotype that appeared admixed between the Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic, based on genetic clustering and assignment algorithms. The SG samples were clearly South Atlantic and were more similar to the South American than the South African wintering grounds. This study highlights how international collaborations are critical to provide context for emerging or recovering regions, like the SG feeding ground, as well as those that remain critically endangered, such as Chile–Peru.

II.—Further Notes on the Petrography of South Georgia

1916 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 435-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. W. Tyrrell
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
The South ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
New Material ◽  
Rock Specimens

The new material on which this paper is based has lately been received through Mr. D. Ferguson, who recently investigated the geology of the island, and collected the rocks described in an earlier paper. It consists of twenty-seven rock specimens from the south-eastern end of the island, between Cape Disappointment and Cooper Island, and nine specimens from Gold Harbour on the north-east coast between Cooper Island and Royal Bay. All these were collected by the staff of the South Georgia Co., Ltd., under the instructions of Mr. Th. E. Salvesen, managing director, of Leith.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document