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Southern Right Whale, from the right whale to hunt to the right whale to protect
by Miguel Iñíguez and Jimena Belgrano
As the racing yachts approach CapeTown, marking the end of the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, another wanderer of the sea is awaiting their arrival - the southern right whale.
Right whales were so named because they were thought by whalers to be the right whale to hunt, they were easy to catch and floated when dead. Now they are the focus of whale watching activities and act as ambassadors for others of their kind.
The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is found in the Southern Hemisphere and has a circumpolar distribution. They spend the austral winter and spring in breeding grounds in the waters of South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. From October to December, the whales migrate to feeding grounds located in waters around Antarctica or elsewhere in the Southern Ocean.
Females are larger than males, they reach 17m and weigh 35,000-40,000 kg. Their life span exceeds 70 years. This robust black and white whale is characterized by a strongly arched mouthline, it has no dorsal fin on the back and the flippers are large and paddle-shaped. However, the most remarkable feature is the callosities, rough patches of skin, that cover the head. Callosities are white or cream coloured because the presence of Cyamids, commonly known as whale lice. The other distinctive feature is the "V" shaped blow.
The southern right whale was exploited by whalers mainly prior to the modern whaling era, with most hunts of this species occurring in the 19th Century. In 1935, the species received official international protection, even though some illegal hunts by Soviet whaling fleets occured between 1951 and 1970. On the South African coast the species has shown a slow recovery since 1969 and nowadays the Southern Atlantic population is annually increasing by 7%.
Today, the harpoon has been replaced by the camera and southern right whales are one of the main attractions of whale watching activities in South Africa, as well as in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
These beautiful whales act as ambassadors for whales and dolphins around the world and they deserve to be protected.
You can help them, by supporting WDCSs call to establish Marine Protected Areas around the globe with your signature here.
Watch our We Sail for the Whale campaign video below: