The recovery of Antarctica’s giants – baleen whales

Bamford, Connor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5732-7237; Kelly, Nat; Herr, Helena; Seyboth, Elisa; Jackson, Jennifer A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4158-1924. 2023 The recovery of Antarctica’s giants – baleen whales. Antarctic Environments Portal [Marine]. 10.48361/edgj-pp83

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Abstract/Summary

- Baleen whales are predominately summer visitors to Antarctic waters, where they feed on large swarms of zooplankton, primarily Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba). - Over 2 million whales were killed in Southern Hemisphere whaling operations in the 20th Century 1. - Many species were brought to the edge of extinction as a result of this commercial exploitation 2,3. - The IUCN categorise the main Antarctic baleen whale species: (i) Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) as Critically Endangered; (ii) fin whales ( physalus) as Vulnerable; (iii) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) as Least Concern; (iv) southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) as Least Concern, although the sub-population in Chile and Peru is Critically Endangered; (v); sei whales (B. borealis) as Endangered; (vi) Antarctic minke whales (B. bonaerensis) as Near Threatened; (vii) common minke whales (B. acutorostrata) as Unknown; and (viii) pygmy blue whales (B. musculus brevicauda) as Data Deficient. - Many Antarctic baleen whale populations are showing signs of recovery 4-6, but ongoing monitoring is essential so trends can be closely tracked because they face threats from climate change and direct anthropogenic impacts.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.48361/edgj-pp83
Date made live:	16 Aug 2023 09:38 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/535611

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