Southern Right Whales in Big Comeback
Date: 20-Oct-03
Country: USA
Author: Ed Stoddard
The crowd had come for the annual whale festival in the South African seaside resort of Hermanus, one of the prime spots on the planet to indulge in whale watching from the comfort of dry land.
On this particular morning the viewers were not disappointed, with at least nine southern right whales observed at close range, including two females with calves.
Once pushed to the edge of extinction, southern right whales are now riding the comeback wave.
Their population is believed to be rising at an annual rate of seven percent - a staggering figure for an animal that usually attains lengths of around 14 meters (44 feet) and weighs up to 40 tonnes or more.
Annual counts have shown growing numbers in South African waters, where the plankton-eating giants spend much of their time.
Last year's assessment revealed the biggest number yet of the gentle leviathans in the survey's 30-year history, with 845 counted during a seven-day aerial survey of South Africa's south coast - 169 more than the previous year.
In an age of ravaged fish stocks and messy oil spills, this is a rare piece of good environmental news on the marine front.
"In all of the southern hemisphere, there are estimated to be 9,000 to 10,000 right whales at the moment," Dr. Peter Best, a zoologist with the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, told Reuters.
That is remarkable considering where their numbers once stood as a result of uncontrolled whaling.
"In the 1920s, their numbers were down to as low as 300 by some estimates," Best said.
RIGHT WHALE TO KILL
Right whales were easy targets for commercial whalers because they moved slowly and obligingly floated to the surface when killed by harpoons - hence their name, as they were the "right whale" to kill.
They have been protected since 1935, enabling the southern variety to be fruitful and multiply - which it has done with apparent enthusiasm.
Its cousin, the Atlantic northern right whale - hunted in France's Bay of Biscay as early as the 12th century - has not fared so well and is believed to number only around 300.
The north Pacific species of right whale may be even more endangered but little is known about it. Even its calving grounds remain a watery secret.
The Atlantic right whale's woes stem partly from the fact that its annual migration route, between the Caribbean and the rich feeding waters off Nova Scotia, is also a busy shipping lane. Many perish in collisions with ships.
The southern migration routes are not so busy, though ship-whale mishaps do occur occasionally.
Off South Africa's south coast, right whales can usually be seen between May and November before they move off to the southeast Atlantic and other feeding spots.
"The cows and calves seem to like the sheltered areas," said Best, referring to the whales' penchant for swimming within meters of the shore in bays like Hermanus, about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Cape Town.
That is a boon for Hermanus and other sleepy coastal villages, enabling them to grab a slice of the lucrative whale-watching industry.
According to a 2000 study by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the global whale-watching industry was worth $1 billion a year, attracting five million visitors annually to 87 countries.
And being able to observe whales from the shore - as you can in Hermanus - is ecologically-friendly and assuages growing concerns that boat-viewing expeditions may disturb and in some cases even harm the animals.
