Conservation advances for the southern right whales in Brazil

Abstract

During the austral winter/spring time southern right whales occur in coastal waters of Brazil. The species was historically distributed between the southern and northeastern coast of Brazil but was severely depleted by commercial whaling until 1973. In the early 1980s, whales were ‘rediscovered’ in this region and have been studied there since then by the “Right Whale Project”, a research and conservation program created with the aim of ensure the survival and recovery of the right whale population in Brazilian waters. Their main aggregation area is in the shallow and protected bays of the central-southern coast of Santa Catarina State. This area is marine protected area – Right Whale Environmental Protection Area (RWEPA). This chapter provides information on the species research techniques and conservation advances in Brazil.