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SC/69A/CMP/16
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Resource ID
19969
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Document Number
SC/69A/CMP/16
Full Title
Gray whale's body condition in Laguna San Ignatio, B.C.S., Mexico during unusual mortality event of 2019-2022: 2023 update
Author
M. Valerio-Conchas, S. Martínez-Aguilar, S.L. Swartz And J. Urbán 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 2023 season in Laguna San Ignacio (LSI), Baja California Sur, Mexico, 618 gray whales were photographed, from which the body condition of 444 single adult whales (male or female without a calf) and 82 mothers with calves (Mc) were evaluated. The percentage of single adult whales with “good body condition” was 70% (n=311), “fair” 21.2% (n=94) and “poor” 8.8% (n=39). The body condition of mothers with calves was 82.9% “good” (n=68), 13.5% “fair” (n=11) and 3.6% “poor’ (n=3). The percentage of single whales with “good” and “fair” body conditions increased in 2023 compared 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 Mc with “fair” and “poor” body condition was the highest from the last 3 years. Still, the number of Mc observed in 2023 was the highest in the last 5 years. The data suggest an improvement in gray whale´s body condition and an increasing reproduction (calving) rate.
Publication Year
2023
Abstract
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 2023 season in Laguna San Ignacio (LSI), Baja California Sur, Mexico, 618 gray whales were photographed, from which the body condition of 444 single adult whales (male or female without a calf) and 82 mothers with calves (Mc) were evaluated. The percentage of single adult whales with “good body condition” was 70% (n=311), “fair” 21.2% (n=94) and “poor” 8.8% (n=39). The body condition of mothers with calves was 82.9% “good” (n=68), 13.5% “fair” (n=11) and 3.6% “poor’ (n=3). The percentage of single whales with “good” and “fair” body conditions increased in 2023 compared 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 Mc with “fair” and “poor” body condition was the highest from the last 3 years. Still, the number of Mc observed in 2023 was the highest in the last 5 years. The data suggest an improvement in gray whale´s body condition and an increasing reproduction (calving) rate.