A record-breaking 661 southern right whale mother-and-calf pairs were spotted by the Whale Unit of the Mammal Research Institute (MRI) during an aerial survey in September on the West Coast.
A total of 1,347 whales were counted between Hawston and Witsand and according to Dr Els Vermeulen from the MRI and the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria (UP), these figures are at an all time high.
WATCH: Beautiful drone footage of the whales and Dr Vermeulen talks about why the cow-calf pairs have increased. VIDEO: Kelly-Jane Turner
Thousands of spectators gathered at the Hermanus Whale Festival over the weekend, as Walker Bay has long been known as the best land-based whale watching site in the world.
The environmental conditions are ideal for the whales because of its sandy bottoms, smooth shores and shallow waters which allow females to better protect their calves.
“I noticed there were many more whales this year compared to the last two years. A white calf was also spotted, which is really unique and special,” said Ashley Fraser, a Hermanus resident.
Good Hope FM presenter Celest Anthony said, “There were lots of people who attended the Hermanus Whale Festival this year, and it’s great because the whales have really been showing off.”
Thousands of people gathered at Walker Bay over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the southern right whale. PHOTO: Kelly-Jane Turner
“Last year there were about 215 calves in the same stretch of coastline around the same time. We think that the females who were supposed to calve in 2016 and 2017 are calving now, together with this years’ calving females,” said Dr Vermeulen.
The reason for the increase in cow-calf pairs could be due to an increase in food availability and a recovery of a strong series of climate changes affecting the Pacific region known as El Niño, adds Dr Vermeulen.
While the amount of whales on the South African coast has doubled and the cow-calf pairs have increased, Dr Vermeulen said that there are fewer unaccompanied adults.
“The whales we are not spotting are the males, resting and receptive females. There were only 25 unaccompanied whales spotted, which could mean that if they don’t have to migrate to South Africa to mate and calf, they will most likely not come.”
The MRI have been conducting the surveys since 1979, with this year being their 39th consecutive survey. The resulting dataset is one of the longest running datasets on any marine mammal worldwide.
Researchers from the MRI fly the coastline from Nature’s Valley to Muizenberg by helicopter, to photograph and record the southern right whale population. The images are taken and uploaded onto a database which records and recognises the whales’ unique patterns caused by wart-like callosities or calluses on their heads, and the white and grey pigmentation patterns on their backs.
To fund further research, the MRI has created a symbolic adoption program where one can adopt a whale for R400 per year.
“Those who adopt a whale will be able to see its profile, family history, and will receive up-to-date information of our research via newsletters,” said Dr Vermeulen.
The Southern Right Whales have had positive results for 2018. INFOGRAM: Kelly-Jane Turner