The Antarctic blue whale, which may reach a maximum length of 98 feet and a maximum weight of 400,000 pounds, is the largest animal currently existing (about 33 elephants). The whale needs about 7936 pounds of krill to fuel its tiny heart, which is about the size of a car, each day during its peak feeding season.
As the loudest mammal on the earth, its howls may reach 188 dB, which is louder than a jet engine. Blue whales can be distinguished by their low-frequency whistle from hundreds of kilometers away.
A WWF research team is present when the blue whale breaches the surface in South America’s Gulf of Corcovado.
A WWF research team watches as a blue whale breaches the surface of the Gulf of Corcovado in South America.
In 1904, the southern Atlantic Ocean saw the start of commercial whaling, which led to a sharp decline in the number of Antarctic blue whales. Notwithstanding 1960s International Whaling Commission restrictions, illegal whaling remained until 1972. The IUCN Red List now classifies this species as “critically endangered,” down from 125,000 in 1926, with a population of only a few thousand.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) led research team was able to provide some hopeful results following their recent trip to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. In 2020, they conducted a “historic” Antarctic blue whale counting expedition and counted 55 of the animals. The South Georgia Lakes are still an important summer feeding area
“We are happy to see so many whales returning to South Georgia after three years of surveys because both whaling and sealing were heavily practiced here. The fact that humpback whale populations have returned to those seen a century ago, before commercial whaling in South Georgia, shows that the safeguards put in place to stop it were successful.” BAS whale biologist Dr. Jennifer Jackson remarked.
In order to preserve the most crucial habitats for iconic species including whales, penguins, seals, seabirds, and their tiny Antarctic krill diet, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has long worked in partnership with the Southern Ocean Commission (CCAMLR). CCAMLR has committed to creating a network of marine protected areas all the way around Antarctica as part of its objective to protect biodiversity in the Southern Ocean from the consequences of climate change. For whales, who depend on the krill found there as food, these places will be particularly crucial. WWF works with scientists to provide governments with useful knowledge so they can support the conservation of these essential feeding areas.