From Chilean Patagonia to Galapagos, Ecuador: novel insights on blue whale migratory pathways along the Eastern South Pacific

Resumen

Information derived from satellite tagged blue whales in this study is the first of its kind off the Eastern Southern Pacific. Our results provide valuable information on their migratory timing, routes and behavior on their northbound migration, particularly regarding the varied migratory plasticity for this particular population. Our results also highlight the first record of two complete migratory paths between CNP and GA and strengthen the hypothesis that GA waters correspond to a potential wintering destination for CNP blue whales. We further hypothesize that this area might be selected because of its biological productivity, which could provide feeding opportunities during the breeding season. Our results suggest that special efforts should be put forward to identify blue whale critical areas and understand key behavioral aspects in order to provide the basis for their conservation on a regional context (i.e., reducing potential ship strike and promote Marine Protected Area (MPA) implementation in Chile, Ecuador and Peru). Indeed, we suggest joint blue whale conservation efforts at the regional level in order to identify and determine potential threats and impacts and, most importantly, implement prospective management actions.