One Ocean Expeditions has
developed a new marine mammals itinerary for this coming season that offers
a unique opportunity to join an Antarctic expedition to study humpback, Minke
and killer whales.
The 10-day trip, embarking in Ushuaia on the 16 March 2013, will be
accompanied by Dr Ari Friedlaender, a Research Scientist at Duke University, who
has been to the Antarctic nearly 20 times on scientific voyages and whose work
focuses on the feeding behaviour and movement patterns of marine mammals around
the world.
Ari, who is actively studying how climate change and global
warming are affecting whales and other krill predators, is currently leading a
project to track the long-term movement patterns of humpback whales around the
Antarctic Peninsula to understand how they are being affected by changes to
their environment.
Humpback whales are the most abundant whales around the
Peninsula and there is growing evidence that while many migrate to tropical
breeding grounds some remain in ice-free areas for longer periods due to warming
climates. We will survey several bays that are the focus of long-term research
projects to determine how the abundance of humpbacks changes throughout the
course of the Antarctic summer.
Participants will learn how to record whale numbers, help to conduct photo
surveys, determine movement patterns and identify individual animals. They will
also locate and document behaviour of whales that have previously been fitted
with satellite tracking devices.
Els Vermeulen, international marine consultant and founder
of the Marybio Foundation, which aims to contribute to the conservation of
marine mammals in Argentine Patagonia, will also join the voyage. Els is
scientific advisor to the Belgian delegation in the International Whaling
Commission, and is the perfect companion to have on board during this special
interest expedition. Photo Marius Coetzee.
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