Blue whale in the seas of Chile.CETÁCEA CONSERVATION CENTER CHILE
The high traffic of boats - up to 1,000 a day - on the coasts of southern Chile endangers the survival of the blue whale, an endangered cetacean that has a preferred place for feeding in these seas due to the high presence of krill, tiny fish that are a basic part of their diet.
Biologists from the Austral University of Chile have warned in an investigation published in
Scientific Reports
that, due to the enormous traffic of boats, mainly from the fishing industry, there is a high risk of collisions with whales, which can have a negative impact on an already decimated population.
“If a blue whale died every two years from anthropic causes [human activity], the population's recovery rate would be seriously affected and threatened,” warns marine biologist Luis Bedriñana-Romano, lead author of the work.
Bedriñana-Romano and his colleague Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete have spent almost 20 years of their careers investigating the routes that blue whales follow to feed and care for their young.
In fact, Hucke-Gaete, called “the Lord of the whales”, achieved international recognition in 2003 when he discovered the feeding place of cetaceans in the sea of Chilean Patagonia, an important finding to create public policies that help conservation of this animal, considered the largest on the planet, as it can measure up to 27 meters and weigh more than 100 tons.
These researchers, together with their colleagues from the Blue Whale Center and the Austral University of Chile, have developed a monitoring system considered pioneering, which uses satellite positioning instruments applied to more than 20 whales to receive information on their movements, migratory destinations. and their behavior.
With their studies they have determined that, in the south of Chile, between the city of Puerto Montt and the Taitao Peninsula, are the favorite places for blue whales to feed.
And it is also a high-risk area for cetaceans, because there is a daily traffic of up to 1,000 vessels, mainly fishing.
“We know where the whales are, but we also know that their total population is very low in this area.
In fact, according to our research, they would reach between 200 and 700 individuals, so any incident of collision and death of these animals represents a real threat to their conservation ”, Bedriñana-Romano.
Scientists warn that deadly collisions between boats and cetaceans have been recorded in areas such as Puerto Montt.
"Field observations we have conducted indicate that when blue whales eat, they are practically only paying attention to this activity," explains Hucke-Gaete.
"This makes them more prone to being hit by boats and particularly at night, when, according to other research, whales are on average closer to the surface as a result of their food also rising to the surface", adds the scientist.
With the findings of their research, these scientists hope that the authorities can establish protective measures for the blue whale and thus guarantee its survival.