After nearly a century of absence, the majestic blue-grey sei whales are making a triumphant return to Argentina's Patagonian coast. These gentle giants vanished from the region in the 1920s and 1930s, victims of relentless whaling. Today, thanks to global bans on commercial whaling and dedicated conservation efforts, sei whale populations are rebounding, marking a significant milestone in marine preservation.
Mariano Coscarella, a biologist with Argentina's state science body CONICET, explains, \"They disappeared because they were hunted, they did not become extinct but were so reduced that no one saw them.\" Decades of protection measures have allowed these whales to recover their numbers slowly, with sightings becoming more frequent in recent years.
In an exciting development, the conservation team recently equipped sei whales with satellite trackers as part of the National Geographic's Pristine Seas project. By mapping their migration patterns and capturing footage from boats, drones, and underwater, researchers are gaining invaluable insights into the whales' behavior and movements.
Coscarella emphasizes the global significance of this recovery, stating, \"We can consider this a success of conservation on a global scale.\" However, he warns that any withdrawal from the global whaling moratorium could threaten this progress. The return of sei whales to their old habitats is a powerful reminder of what collective action can achieve for our planet's ecosystems.
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Whales return to Argentina's coastline for first time in 100 years
cgtn.com
