Gray Whale Surveys & Research

FINAL REPORT OF THE 2012 GRAY WHALE RESEARCH SEASON IN LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO, INCLUDING NEW INFORMATION ON GRAY WHALES IN BAHIA MAGDALENA, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO.   The Laguna San Ignacio research program in 2012 included monitoring of gray whale abundance and distribution,   assessment of residence time in the area, birth intervals, acoustic monitoring, [...]

Comparison of photographs of endangered Western gray whales obtained from the Sakhalin Island, Russia feeding grounds with photo-identified individuals from the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico breeding lagoons resulted in 14 matches between these two locations. These included six males, six females and two whales of unknown sex. Thirteen of these endangered Western whales were observed [...]

Gray Whale Abundance Increases for Second Year in 2012 The 2012 winter field research program documented a second consecutive winter of increased numbers of gray whales utilizing Laguna San Ignacio compared to their abundance during the 2007-2010 winters. Of special note was that numbers of mother-calf pairs reaching their highest numbers at the end of [...]

Researchers report record high counts of gray whales in Laguna San Ignacio in 2011 By Steven L. Swartz, Co-Director LSIESP After four years (2007-2010) of declining counts of Eastern North Pacific gray whales within Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California, Sur, Mexico, the number of whales utilizing this lagoon during their 2011 winter breeding season was [...]

The 2010 winter gray whale research at Laguna San Ignacio began in mid-January and continued until early-April 2010.  Gray whale abundance monitoring involved 15 weekly census counts of gray whales in the lagoon to monitor the number of whales in the lagoon each week and lagoon habitat use. Weekly census counts began on January 19th 2009 [...]

The two primary gray whale research activities are conducting weekly census (counts) of the number of gray whales in the lagoon to monitor habitat use, and the on-going collection of photographic identification information (Photo-ID) of individual whales, especially females with calves that are indicative of the reproductive health of the population.

Monitoring of the number of gray whales that utilize Laguna San Ignacio and within other wintering gathering areas in Baja California indicate that water temperature can have an effect on the duration and lengths of their migration, and the aggregation areas the whales choose to use each winter. In the winter of 2009 the water temperature in the lagoon was 16-19 degrees °C during February and March, which was 2-3 degrees °C[MG1] warmer than in the previous winter, and this could account for the greater number of whales seen in the lagoon this year. The trends in water temperature within Laguna San Ignacio in 2009 were measured using autonomous recording devices placed on the bottom of the lagoon by the marine Acoustics program (see below). The water temperature reached a minimum of 15-16 degrees °C in mid February, and increased to a high between 19-20 degrees °C the first week in March.

The water temperature inside Laguna San Ignacio and immediately offshore during this time hovered around 15 degrees C, suggesting a colder than normal or “La Nina” oceanographic condition along the Baja peninsula. The last two weeks of February the water temperature increased to 18-19 degrees C, and whale surveys within the lagoon documented an increase in the number of whales comparable to those observed in recent years.

Laguna San Ignacio is located in the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and it is one of the four main calving-breeding lagoons of the eastern North Pacific gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). First results are presented for the 2007 gray whale winter research season, and include: abundance estimates, density and distribution of the whales within this lagoon, photographic identification studies, and observations of “skinny” whales. Twelve complete census surveys of the lagoon were conducted from February 5 to March 30, 2007.

Field studies of breeding gray whales in Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, México, were conducted during February 2006. Participants were Dr. Jorge Urbán Ramírez, M en C. Alejandro Gómez Gallardo, Biol. Mar. Sergio González Carrillo, Biol. Mar. Benjamín Troyo Vega and Biol. Mar. Mauricio Nájera Caballero from Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS), [...]