The census of whales in Baja California Sur increases and gives hope to the species

The last census of the gray whale recorded a total of 1,364 specimens from December 2022 to mid-February 2023. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), through the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp), reported on the count of this species in the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, in the municipality of Mulegé, Baja California Sur.

In the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, 458 whales with calves and 330 alone were counted, giving a total of 1,246 whales, while in the San Ignacio Lagoon 33 mothers with their calves and 52 single whales were sighted, that is, a total of 118. According to these numbers, there was a significant increase in the population levels of this species, since in the 2021-2022 season, in Laguna Ojo de Liebre, the count yielded a total of 948 whales, and in Laguna San Ignacio 178, giving a total of 1,126 copies.

The environmental authorities stressed that for 68 years the gray whale has been protected against commercial hunting, which has allowed its numbers to grow and it is possible to remove it from the list of endangered species.

Currently, it is listed in the Official Mexican Standard, with the category of Special Protection (Pr).

One of their most important habitats in Mexico is the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, decreed in 1988, which includes important feeding and reproduction sites for these animals.

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