A 400-Year Saga: Restoring the Southern Right Whale

Come to the coast of Brazil to hear a conservation success story! Expedition Leader Helder Brandao reminds us it is still possible to change the future for endangered species, and the rebound of the southern right whale from near-extinction is an inspiring case in point. For nearly 400 years, this species — one of the first to be targeted by whalers — was hunted and nearly obliterated. Although hunting was banned in 1935, illegal Russian whaling continued until the 1970s, when conservation efforts ramped up to save the southern right. (It got its name, incidentally, because whalers considered it to be the “right” whale to hunt: being a slow swimmer, and with a thick blubber layer that makes it very buoyant, it was easy to catch.) Helder’s guest is Dr. Karina Groch, Research Director with the Instituto Australis, established in 1982 to study and monitor right whales along Brazil’s southern coast, which this migratory species uses as a nursery and wintering ground. The organization helped establish a marine protected area where the whale concentration is highest, and today, whale-watching ecotourism is helping to conserve the southern right and its habitat. Join Helder and Dr. Groch to learn all about this important cetacean, and be inspired by what’s possible on behalf of endangered species!


Originally presented January 14, 2022

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