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SC/69B/CMP/13
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Resource ID
22056
Access
Open
Document Number
SC/69B/CMP/13
Full Title
GRAY WHALE?S BODY CONDITION IN LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO, B.C.S., MEXICO FOLLOWING THE UNUSUAL MORTALITY EVENT OF 2019-2023: 2024 UPDATE
Author
R. Lobo-Barrera, S. Mart¡nez-Aguilar, S.L. Swartz, And J. Urb n R.,
Authors Summary
The evaluation of a whale's body condition provides an indicator of its health and reproductive condition and is indirectly an indicator of the environment?s health. During the 2024 season in Laguna San Ignacio (LSI), Baja California Sur, Mexico, 844 gray whales were photographed, from which the body condition of 655 single adult whales (male or female without a calf) and 22 females with calves were evaluated. The percentage of single adult whales with ?good body condition? was 60.6% (n=397), ?fair? 34.8% (n=228) and ?poor? 4.6% (n=30). The body condition of females with calves was 81.8% ?good? (n=18), 18.2% ?fair? (n=4) and 0% ?poor? (n=0). The percentage of single whales with ?good? presented a small decrease compared to 2023, but was improved compared to the 2019-2023 period. There was an increase in ?fair? body conditions compared to 2023 but similar to 2019-2022 period; meanwhile, the percentages of whales with ?poor? body condition decreased, being the lowest since the Unusual Mortality Event (UME) began in 2019. The percentage of females with calves with ?fair? body condition was the highest from the last 4 years, and there were no mothers with ?poor? body condition. However, the number of females with calves dropped from 83 in 2023 to 22. The data suggest an improvement in gray whale?s body condition, but a significant decrease in the number of females with calves.
Publisher
IWC
Publication Year
2024