Humpback whales return to Rio waters, conservation group says

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STORY: :: A conservation group says humpback whales

are returning to waters by Rio de Janeiro to breed

:: July 3, 2024

:: The species had once almost become

extinct due to indiscriminate hunting

:: Enrico Marcovaldi, Founder, Baleia Jubarte Institute

"The ban on whaling occurred in 1986, 1987 then that population recovered and is slowly occupying former breeding areas like here in Rio de Janeiro more recently."

Humpback whales, a species of baleen whale, were almost driven to extinction due to indiscriminate hunting that lasted for centuries that was intensified in the 19th century by modern technologies.

Humpback whales were heavily hunted through the 1960s, when Soviet whaling operations were still catching them despite an International Whaling Commission agreement to stop hunting the species from 1963 onwards, according to the IWC website.

The whales can measure up to 53 feet long (16 metres) and migrate each year from Antarctica to reproduce.

Baleia Jubarte says although the population swells to more than 30,000 whales from 2,000 during the migration season, the whales still face threats such as entanglement in fishing nets, ship strikes and habitat degradation.