Preliminary report on the photo-identification of blue whales off Isla de Chiloé, Chile from 2004 to 2006

Authors

Elsa Cabrera, Cetacean Conservation Center (CCC)
Carole A. Carlson, Provincetown, MA
Bárbara Galletti Vernazzani, Cetacean Conservation Center (CCC) - Casilla
Robert L. Brownell Jr., Southwest Fisheries Center, NOAAFollow

Date of this Version

6-2006

Comments

Paper SC/58/SH18 presented to the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, June 2006, St Kitts and Nevis, WI.

Abstract

Photo identification of individual blue whales during summer and autumn off the northwestern Isla de Chiloé, southern Chile, were collected from marine surveys conducted from 2004 to 2006. Re-sightings of individual whales both within and between years may provide evidence of residency and site fidelity by blue whales in the area. These records further document the importance of the northwestern Isla de Chiloé as a feeding area for blue whales. These records also highlight the necessity of further comparisons with photographic catalogues from other areas in southern Chile, off the northwestern coast of South America and the Pacific coast of Central America to better understand seasonal movements, distribution of individuals along the eastern South Pacific, and their wintering areas.