Current status of Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis in San Matías Gulf (Patagonia, Argentina) and results of experimental whale watching activities

ARIAS M.; ROMERO A.; SVENDSEN G.; CURCIO N.; JARMA D.; COSCARELLA M.; DANS S.; CRESPO E.; GONZÁLEZ R.

San Diego

Workshop; Annual metting of the IWC scientific committe SC66A; 2015

International Whaling Commission

The Southern Right Whale stock inhabiting northern patagonian gulfs near Peninsula Valdes (Argentina) has shown a sustained growth since 1999. However, Crespo et al. 2015 noted a decline in the rate of population increase for this area during the last years and propose that these changes would be related to a density-dependent process in which the preferred areas located into the Peninsula Valdes system (including Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José) appears to be near their carrying capacity and are exporting individuals to other areas. The growing presence of transient whales, including solitary animals, mating groups and mother with calves, observed during the last two decades in the northern San Matías Gulf SMG could be the consequence of this process. Presence of whales in the neighborhood of San Antonio Bay (northern SMG) during winter and early spring season has become so common that an experimental program of whale-watching tourism has been started in 2012.The results of the present study show that the numbers of whales in SMG has been increasing during the last decade, with a marked seasonality from August to October.Solitary individuals were dominant in SMG and tourism activity was mainly performed over solitary individuals and non-social active groups. The results of this study constitute a contribution to the knowledge on the presence and population status of the Southern Right Whale in the SMG area and the first characterization of the whale watching tourism, which is a growing activity in the area.