SAVE THE WHALE SAVE THE SOUTHERN OCEAN Species Programme WWF International Why preventing whaling in the Southern Av. du Mont-Blanc 1196 Gland Ocean is crucial for the world's whales Switzerland Why preventing whaling in the Southern Ocean is crucial for the world’s whales The Southern Ocean is critical to ensuring the recovery and viability of the great whale populations in the southern hemisphere. It provides the feeding grounds needed to sustain most southern hemisphere great whales – which coastal communities from Australia to Latin America to Africa are reliant upon for livelihoods and income derived from whale watching tourism. After rampant commercial whaling in the twentieth century brought most great whale species in the Southern Ocean close to extinction, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) established the Southern Ocean Published June 2010 Whale Sanctuary in 1994, recognising the critical importance This report was written by the WWF International Species Programme and the of protecting whales in this special place. Since the inception WWF Antarctic and Southern Ocean Initiative. The report is available at of the sanctuary, threats to whales in the Southern Ocean have www.panda.org/iwc. broadened to include climate change, ship strikes, the For more information please contact potential of over-fishing and acoustic and chemical pollution. Wendy Elliott, [email protected] or Rob Nicoll, [email protected] If whales in the southern hemisphere are to fully recover, Photography the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary must be fully respected Cover Montage; Southern right whale by all contracting governments to the IWC. WWF therefore urges (Eubalaena australis) underwater off the Auckland Islands © Brian J. Skerry / National Geographic Stock / WWF all contracting governments to the IWC to reject any proposal Page 2 and 3; Southern right whale, that would set catch limits for whaling in the Southern Ocean. Argentina © James Frankham / WWF-Canon Page 4; Sea ice Rothera Station, Antarctic Peninsula © Cassandra Phillips / WWF-Canon Page 6 & 7; Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) © Cat Holloway / WWF-Canon Page 8; Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus); Trincomalee Bay, Sri Lanka © Jonathan Gordon / WWF-Canon Page 10 & 11; Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) off the Auckland Islands, New Zealand © Brian J. Skerry / National Geographic Stock / WWF Page 12 & 13; Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) © Sylvia Earle / WWF-Canon Page 15; Eye of a Southern right whale © Brian J. Skerry/ National Geographic Stock/ WWF Design: InsideOut Creative Limited www.insidetheoutside.co.uk 2 3 Taking advantage of this Krill are considered to be one of, The abundance of krill in the Ocean. Iron is a critical element The importance of the abundant production are the if not the, most important link in Southern Ocean means that in the region as it enables the Southern Ocean’s most plentiful most Southern Ocean food whilst the area accounts for growth of the algae which form Southern Ocean for whales residents - the small shrimp-like chains and are a key prey about only 10% of the world’s the basis of the food chain. Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, species for whales, seals, fish, oceans, it probably supports When the algae die, they sink which feed on the tiny squid, penguins and other more than 50% of the world’s and strip iron from the ocean’s The Southern Ocean – the sea tiny photosynthetic organisms photosynthetic diatoms which seabirds. Many Southern Ocean marine mammal biomass, surface. However when the surrounding the continent of (organisms which harness the make up the phytoplankton baleen whales consume krill including six species of algae is eaten by krill, which is blooms. It is quite possible that Antarctica – is one of the world's energy of the sun to grow), or almost exclusively, although pinnipeds (seals), eight species then eaten by whales, the iron is krill are the most abundant animal most spectacular and ecologically algae, which form the basis of the copepods and small schooling of baleen whales, and at least excreted back into the water in species in the world. As krill important environments, and is food chain. These nutrients are fish are also eaten, especially by seven species of toothed whale faeces. The iron mature, they aggregate into huge 1 brought to the Southern Ocean by Southern right whales and sei whales5 (see box 1). The home to thousands of species concentration of baleen whale schools or swarms so dense that that live nowhere else. The the southerly flow of deep, whales. Baleen whales feed on particular biology and foraging faeces has been found to be they turn the water red or orange1. continent of Antarctica is the nutrient-rich water known as krill by filtering them out of the habitats of many baleen whale Within a school of krill, 30,000 about 10 million times that of coldest, windiest and driest place ‘Circumpolar Deep Water’ which water using their baleen, which species mean that they rely on individual animals can be found Antarctic seawater, so the rises to the surface (upwells) near are huge plates of bone in their large, concentrated, high density on the planet, yet the oceans within one cubic meter of faeces acts as a fertiliser for mouths in place of teeth. Baleen 6 surrounding it are some of the the continent of Antarctica and 2 food reserves – attempts to feed algal growth . Increasing seawater . The total surface of the whales eat 30-50 million tonnes most productive on Earth, makes nutrients available to on more dispersed food sources populations of baleen whales distribution of Antarctic krill is of krill in the Antarctic each year. containing abundant marine life photosynthetic organisms in the 2 are not energy efficient. The and krill would therefore have approximately 36 million km Toothed whales (whales which ranging from tiny photosynthetic sunlit waters near the surface, Southern Ocean provides these a positive feedback effect on (equivalent to an area four and a have ‘teeth’ rather than baleen organisms to the largest known which then grow into large 3 high density food reserves in half times the size of Australia ) plates) take advantage of high the productivity of the entire animal ever to live on this planet – ‘phytoplankton blooms’. The abundance, and therefore the and the total biomass of krill in densities of other animals which Southern Ocean ecosystem, the 30 meter long blue whale. second reason the Southern importance of the Southern the Southern Ocean is estimated feed on krill – such as squid, fish and would also play a role in There are two main reasons why Ocean for whale conservation Ocean is so productive is that to be around 350 million tonnes. and in the case of killer whales, global climate regulation as the Southern Ocean is so full of over the six summer months the can not be overstated. Compare this with the current seals and penguins. Beaked algae absorb CO2 from the life. The first is the existence of a sun never sets, meaning that total world fish catch of less than whales and sperm whales are Whilst the Southern Ocean is atmosphere, acting as a 4 large amount of nutrients in the photosynthesis, and growth of the 100 million tonnes , and it is easy estimated to consume 14 million important for whales, whales are carbon sink and helping water, which act as a fertiliser, phytoplankton blooms, can occur to see the enormous source of tonnes of squid each year. also important for the Southern reduce climate change. allowing for vigorous growth of 24 hours a day. protein this represents. Whales of the Southern Ocean BOX 1 Baleen whales include blue (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia), pygmy blue (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), fin (Balaenoptera physalus), sei (Balaenoptera borealis), Antarctic minke (Balaenoptera bonaerensis), dwarf minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) humpback (Megatera novaeangeliae) and Southern right (Eubalaean australis). Toothed cetaceans include the hourglass dolphin (Lagenorhynchus cruciger), long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), the killer whale (Orcinus orca), Southern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon Sea ice Rothera Station, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica panifrons), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and Southern fourtooth whale (Berardius arnuxii). 1. Gascon, V., and Werner, R. 2005. An article prepared for the lighthouse foundation. Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. 2. FARO. Biology and Fisheries History of the Commercially Harvested Species. Downloaded 21.4.2010 http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/W5911E/w5911e07.htm#b1- 4.1%20Antarctic%20krill%20%28Euphausia%20superba%29 5. Perrin, W.F., Wursig, B., Thewissen, J.G.M. 2009. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, Elsevier Inc. 3. Gascon, V., and Werner, R. 2005. An article prepared for the lighthouse foundation. Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. 6. Nicol, S., Bowie, A., Jarman, S., Lannuzel, D., Meiners, K.M., van der Merwe, P. 2010. Southern Ocean iron fertilization by baleen whales and Antarctic 4. FARO. 2009. World Fisheries production, by capture and aquaculture, by country (2007). Food and Agriculture Organisation. Downloaded 21.04.2010 krill. Fish and Fisheries. Published online: 30 Mar 2010. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 4 ftp://ftp.fao.org/fi/stat/summary/default.htm 5 Impacts in the Southern Ocean affect Figure 1: Some of the areas where Southern Ocean whales spend the winter months 10°S whale populations in the rest of the 20°S 30°S southern hemisphere 40°S 50°S 60°S Most of the great whales spend summers on productive feeding 70°S grounds and then migrate to their 80°S 2winter breeding/calving grounds in 100°W 80°W 60°W 40°W 20°W 0°E 20°E 40°E 60°E 80°E 100°E 120°E 140°E 160°E 180° 160°W 140°W 120°W 100°W warmer waters, and are believed Southern Ocean feeding area Estimated specific breeding areas for: Estimated migratory routes of Humpback whales to feed little, if at all, while away Minke Whales Hypothesised migratory routes Humpback whales Composite of estimated breeding grounds 7 Southern Right Whales from their feeding grounds .