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Since beginning our work on baleen whales in 2016, it’s become clear that Falklands’ waters are a stronghold for several whale species. This is one of the few places worldwide where globally-Endangered sei whales can be seen from shore and found in accessible and predictable seasonal feeding areas for study. Since 2017, Falklands’ waters have also been documented as a novel wintering ground for the charismatic southern right whales.

Our goal has been to better understand these species; their distributions, population size, ecology, and interactions with human activities. This information is critical to developing effective conservation and management of whale populations, and ensuring their continued recovery from the whaling era. Currently, baleen whales can be threatened by vessel collisions, entanglement in fishing gear, prey reduction, contaminants, harmful algal blooms, and disturbance from shipping noise.

OUR RESEARCH

To carry out this research we’ve undertaken a variety of complementary activities on our whales. Click the arrows below to see what these have included:

Satellite Tracking

Our current Darwin Initiative project is using satellite telemetry to assess the movements and foraging behaviour of sei and southern right whales. You can follow their movements below!

Photo Identification

We take thousands of photos to catalogue individual whales from their natural markings. This provides data on their movements, abundance, health (body condition), interactions with human activities (from scars), and some life history information such as how often they calve

Visual Surveys

From boat and/or aircraft, we keep our eyes peeled for animals to gather information on species identification, group size, group composition (e.g. presence of calves); behaviour, distribution, and abundance

Faecal Sampling

Taking and studying faecal samples can provide us with information on whale diet, whale health (parasites), and their genetic information

Tissue Sampling

From live animals at sea and dead stranded whales, we can take tissue samples to gather information on their genetic diversity and population structure, and on diet (through stable isotope analysis)

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or ‘drones’)

Measuring the bodies of whales through aerial imagery can help us assess their health from their body condition and interactions with human activities, such as scars

Acoustic Monitoring

We deploy acoustic monitoring devices to collect information on species occurrence over time, population structure (through regional comparisons of call types), and behaviour. For instance, the presence of singing confirms reproductive behaviour

Follow @FalklandsWhale for more on our research activities

INFLUENCING MARINE MANAGEMENT

Our research is providing a solid evidence-base for whale management in the Falklands. We’ve produced a government-endorsed Code of Conduct for minimising impacts on whales and dolphins from marine users, advocated for better mitigation for the impacts of industry,  provided technical reports on our survey work that are available for use in Environmental Impact Assessments, collaborated on identifying hemisphere-wide conservation goals for southern right whales, and are currently working on a Species Action Plan for sei whales.

One of the greatest achievements to date has been the international recognition of Falklands’ inshore waters as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) for sei whales. Not only is this the first KBA for endangered sei whales globally, but it is the first KBA to be confirmed using scientific criteria for any species of whale.

#CelebrateSeis!

FUNDED PROJECTS

Our whale research has received funding to date that includes:

2021–2024: Darwin Plus (DPLUS126) – Advancing Falklands and region-scale management of globally important whale populations.

2018–2022: Darwin Plus (DPLUS082) – Conserving Falklands’ whale populations: addressing data deficiencies for informed management.

2018: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Falkland Islands Government, and Falklands Conservation – Abundance and distribution of sei whales on the west coast of the Falklands.

2017: EU BEST 2.0 – Developing a site-based conservation approach for sei whales at Berkeley Sound, Falkland Islands.

2017: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – Genetic diversity of Falkland sei whales.

OUTPUTS:

A number of publications and articles have been produced since this research began in 2017. Please contact Falklands Conservation to request articles or more information.

The below 15 minute documentary was filmed alongside our 2020 whale surveys, and delves into the lives of the sei and southern right whales of the Falkland Islands, as well as the research that we have been undertaking to learn more about these fantastic whales.

Follow @FalklandsWhale on facebook.

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