There are only 5,000 to 15,000 blue whales left in the world, mostly due to a long history of commercial whaling. Although the species is now protected by international conventions, blue whales still face significant threats, so their ecology and population dynamics need to be better understood. However, their deep dives and extensive migrations make them difficult to study, especially in the Indian Ocean.
FIU’s Jeremy Kiszka has taken on that challenge. While surveying about 5,500km across the northern Seychelles, Kiszka and collaborators had a surprising five sightings of up to 10 individual blue whales. They also discovered that the animals’ presence in the area was highly seasonal, primarily from December to April. “We still know so little about blue whales. But the data collected in Seychelles gives us hope and encourages us to do more.”
View Related Expert Profiles: Go to Source