A whale of a tale

In the tranquil waters of southern Chile, around Chiloe, blue whale watching, tourism and environmental conservation is the talk of the day. The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is considered the biggest animal to inhabit this planet. With a length that can reach up to 33 meters and 180 tons of weight this huge, charismatic and peaceful creature has been sighted along with other species of cetaceans, like the hunch-backed whale, sperm whale, orca and dolphins in the waters of the south of Chile. This event is truly a treasure, because they were almost hunted to extinction until 1986 where only 3% of the world population was left.


Chile is becoming one of the number one tourist attractions for whale observation because it is one of the only place in the world where whales can be sighted from land. This is because Chile possesses unique geographical characteristics and the absence of a continental platform at the seabed level. The whales have been sighted between 3 to 10 KM off shore where there is an abundant amount of krill, their main food source. An adult whale will feed at depth of more than 100 meters where it can eat up to 3,600 kgs of krill a day. To feed a blue whale, opens its big mouth taking in vast quantities of sea water, krill and other unlucky small fish. Once filled to the brim, it uses its tongue and ventral pouch to squeeze all the water through the plates and bristles that line the front part of the mouth. This lets it keep all the yummy krill to swallow without ingesting large amounts of sea water.


Whale sightings have occurred in the waters northeast of the Island of Chiloe and farther south in the Gulf of Corcovado and around the Isla Guamblin. Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete a marine biologist from the Institute of evolution and ecology of the Universidad Austral is the leading authority in Chile about whales, their natural habitat and behavior and has studied and witnessed these sightings ever since 1997. He has reported seeing at least 150 specimens in these waters with as much as 60 whales seen in less than 4 hours.


The recent sighting of 23 whales by a naval helicopter flying over the northeastern waters of the Island of Chiloe has confirmed the theory that Chilean waters is becoming a safe haven for these rare animals. It has also been reported that among the whales observed, whale calves have been seen. This leads to the conclusion that these whales are reproducing and that little by little they are gaining in numbers.


All these sightings raise the potential for Chile to become a world renown place for whale observation. In the south of the Island of Chiloe there is a park called Tantauco. To reach this marine sanctuaries one must travel by land from the north of the island to the city of Quellon. After Quellon a trip by boat is needed into the Gulf of Corcovado. In those waters the whales are practically begging to be seen. Other commercial excursions can be planned in the summer season from Quellon to spend the day sailing and looking for these whales. These trips include accommodations, meals, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with the whales.


This year the 60^th annual meeting of the International Whaling Comity was held in Chile where the President of the Republic Michelle Bachelete signed a bill of law that declares all of the waters under Chilean jurisdiction free of whale and other cetacean hunting. In this meeting two very important decrees were declared. The first one extends indefinitely the expiration date of the existing law that prohibits the killing, capture and commercialization of whale byproducts. The other decree declares these animals natural monuments of Chile. The objective of both of these legal initiatives is to indefinitely forbid commercial or scientific hunting operations in Chilean waters. These whale decrees also promote the conservation of the ecosystems used by these gentle giants to reproduce and feed. Even though these initiatives help in some way, the over all results of this meeting did not draw the line on international legislation. The proposal of creating a sanctuary in the south Atlantic between Ecuador and Antarctica was denied leaving those waters open for the whale industries.


Chile is the place to be if you are a whale or into watching whales. The south of the country is beautiful with its lush forest and gorgeous views does not stop at the shoreline. The possibility to observe these majestic creatures and their offspring in the natural habitat and feeding grounds.




Related links

• http://www.parquetantauco.cl/
• http://www.ballenazul.org/
• http://www.biologiamarina.com/