Report of the Southern Right Whale die-off workshop

WERNER, R.; FORCADA, J.; BERTELLOTTI, M.; CRESPO, E.A.; DANS, S.L.; DEGRATI, M.; FAZIO, A.; GRANDI, M.F.; LOIZAGA DE CASTRO, R.; COSCARELLA, M.; BOSSIO, L.; CARRIBERO, A.; GEREMIAS, N.; LINDNER, M.S.; ROMINA, E.; ROSAS, C.L.; SIRONI, M.; TABOADA, D.; GUILAND, F.; REEVES, R.R.; GROCH, K.; KRAPOVICKAS, S.; CONCHILLO, D.; CHIRIFE, A.; ROWNTREE, V.J.; THOMAS, P.O.; BROWNELL, R.L.; ROWLES, T.; HARRIS, G.; MCALOOSE, D.; UHART, M.; VILA, A.; ROSENBAUM, H.; MOORE, M.; JEPSON, P.; ACEVEDO-WHITEHOUSE, K.

THE JOURNAL OF CETACEAN RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT

IWC

Año: 2011 vol. 12 p. 367 - 398

1561-0713

Since 2003, when the Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program (SRWHMP) was established for the Peninsula Valdes region by a consortium of local NGOs, a total of 366 right whale deaths has been recorded, with peaks in 2003 (31), 2005 (47), 2007 (83), 2008 (95) and 2009 (79). Most (91%) of the animals dying have been first-year calves. The Peninsula Valdes population was increasing at a rate of approximately 6.8% from the early 1970s to 2000 (Cooke et al., 2003; 2001). The rate of increase has not been estimated since the die-offs started, but if the population has continued to increase at the same rate since Cooke?s estimates, it may now number around 6,100 whales (Rowntree, pers. comm.). Therefore, the average annual recorded calf mortality in the Peninsula Valdes region from 2007?2009 (presumably not all dead calves are observed and reported) would be around 1.4% of the estimated population size. The number of live calves counted has been increasing at a rate of 6.8% annually since 1971. Over the period from 2003?09, the count of live calves increased at 11% per year while the number of dead calves counted increased at 25% per year. The general aim of the Workshop was to obtain a better understanding of all aspects of the recent high mortality of right whales in Argentina. Towards this end, it brought together three groups of scientists: (1) local experts with direct knowledge of the ecology and marine environment of the Peninsula Valdes region; (2) experts studying right whales in the region; and (3) international experts on whales and mortality factors such as disease and biotoxins. Specifically, the Workshop sought to determine the cause(s) of the recent high mortality and the implications of this mortality for the right whale population as well as to develop a future research and monitoring programme.