Humpback Whales Return to Brazil’s Waters After Near Extinction

Humpback whales that were once little more than legends in Brazil have made a major return to the country’s warm coastal waters, according to reporting by Phys.org and AFP. About 35,000 humpback whales now live in the South Atlantic—nearly half of the species’ estimated global population. Many spend the breeding season around Brazil’s Abrolhos archipelago, where males compete for access to females and calves are born and nursed. The recovery follows a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling introduced in 1986. Brazil prohibited whaling the next year and later designated the Abrolhos breeding grounds as a protected area. The humpback whale was removed from Brazil’s threatened-species list in 2014, and the population has continued to grow since then. The turnaround is particularly striking to researchers who began studying the animals decades ago. Enrico Marcovaldi, founder of Brazil’s Humpback Whale Institute, said that about 40 years ago people did not even know whales were present in Brazilian waters. When he first saw one, he reportedly mistook it for a rock. Scientists now visit Abrolhos each year to study the whales’ behavior, genetics and movements. Biologist Fabio Fontes collects skin and blubber samples by firing a crossbow-mounted arrow into a whale’s back. Researchers use those samples to investigate family relationships among animals separated by thousands of kilometers. One whale born in Abrolhos was found to be related to another observed near South Georgia, about 4,000 kilometers away. Researchers have also used photographs of the distinctive white markings on whales’ tails to identify individuals. The artificial-intelligence platform Happy Whale has identified 8,300 Brazilian humpbacks, and helped researchers document one animal seen in Brazil and later more than 15,000 kilometers away off Australia’s eastern coast. Despite the population’s recovery, the whales still face risks from maritime traffic, fishing nets and warming seas. Climate change threatens krill, a key part of their food supply. In October, Mission Blue designated the Abrolhos archipelago a “Hope Spot” in recognition of its biodiversity and importance to marine conservation.