THE SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE IN PATAGONIA ARGENTINA. WHALE WATCHING, BIOLOGY AND BEYOND By Marcela Junin, PhD

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1 THE SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE IN PATAGONIA ARGENTINA. WHALE WATCHING, BIOLOGY AND BEYOND By Marcela Junin, PhD If you re a dedicated whale watcher, you ll be excited to know that Argentina s Gulf of San Matias may provide the experience of a lifetime many have felt with the gray whales of Mexico. Because small commercial whale watches have started to bring people together with friendly Southern right whales in this Gulf, a scientific assessment was requested by the Asociación de Operadores Náuticos to the Fundación de Historia Natural Felix de Azara (FHNFA), to document any impact on the whales and the marine environment. Documenting the whales behavior and biology was also part of this project. Dra. Marcela Junin and her team from the Marine mammal lab, Fundación Felix de Azara, began their assessment in 2014, with additional support from CSI in Dra. Junin has provided this report for your pleasure, from the broad wealth of data she will submit for her formal scientific report. While CSI is especially pleased that we could help support the study, we re dedicated whale watchers at heart, and wonder when we ll have a chance to experience this ourselves! Dra. Junin writes: During our objective was to obtain ID photographs of these Southern right whales callosity patterns on their heads, while we monitored and recorded behavioral displays in order to identify potential threats to them and the surrounding environment. While we were watching the whales and the whale watchers interacting with them we started to note not just how the whale reacted to humans, but the way the humans reacted to their nearby presence. It was evident that the whale watching in Rio Negro has a unique characteristic that facilitates a very close and more emotional and committed vision about the environment and conservation. The Rio Negro coast is mostly uninhabited and the wild environment produces the feeling of freedom and a bond with nature. The whale watching boats are oceanic rubber boats, smaller than the catamarans they use in the other locality in Patagonia, and the trip itself is more about the spirit of an adventure than other tourist cruises in Chubut s coastal waters. The fact that the capacity of the boat allows to only embark 10 or 12 tourists facilitates whalewatchers to talk with the operator or the guide onboard. We decided to extend our study in order to register the human behavior as well. For a first pilot evaluation we interviewed the people going onboard, we joined efforts with two researchers from the Social Gerontology Department of the Maimonides University in Buenos Aires (where the Fundación Azara is located), who conducted the interview to the middle aged and old adults. Children demand an special attention, so we added to the group a teacher and professor of the primary and secondary college levels to give some special guidance onboard and to interview children (in the presence of their parents) using tools like draws and plush toys. All the interviews were done after the whale watching experience, in the very moment they disembarked and the feelings were very fresh. This addition will allow analyzing the impact of the whale watching in people of different ages and education background. In the last 30 years, the tourism based on marine mammal observation in their natural environment has experienced a huge increase in Patagonia coastal waters. Whales in particular attract million of watchers around the world and have became a profitable business, moving around millions in resources and promoting the development of coastal areas previously unoccupied.

2 From the initial observations of the Southern right whale when Dr Roger Payne established a base on the cliffs of Peninsula Valdes, Chubut Province, Argentina, more than 40 years ago, we have learned a lot about the biology and behavior of this massive and quiet whale.we know that they prefer calm and warm waters of the gulfs surrounding the Peninsula to mate an give birth. Every year between June to December they come to copulate, rest and nurse their calves in San José and Nuevo gulfs. After the commercial hunting was banned in 1936, the remnants of the South West Atlantic population were reduced to a minimum, and there were only two breeding areas along the entire coast of the Atlantic, being Peninsula Valdes in Argentina and another in Santa Catarina State, in Brazil. For decades the Chubut Province coast was the only place in Patagonia where the Southern right whale could be watched. The whale watching industry started with just the basics, but grew as the whale population recovered The Valdes Peninsula whale watching tours operate from the small Puerto Pirámides port, and the nearest city, Puerto Madryn, 70 miles away, was growing up exponentially, due in part to the whale watching based tourism. Today, Madryn receives visitors from August to November, having reached one million people in the last five years. Prices have escalated accordingly to demand and new emerging problems appeared in relation to the number of tourists waiting for the cruise in some of the most crowded weekends. The coast of Patagonia is mostly a desert plateau that falls into the sea, with some shrubs but no trees, and scarcely inhabited except at a few cities established near the mouth of the few rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean. This is the reason because the presence of the Southern right whale along the Patagonian coast out of Peninsula Valdes was not noted until recently. The Patagonian Province North of Chubut is Rio Negro. Its capital City, Viedma, has a domestic airport with regular flights from Buenos Aires. 40 miles to the South of Viedma, we found the Punta Bermeja Natural Reserve that protects the biggest Southern Sea Lion colony in Northern Patagonia. Located 103 miles from Viedma, there are two small cities, San Antonio Oeste with its harbor, San Antonio Este, home of the Asociación of Nautical operators that conduct all the whale watching activity from San Antonio Este and another little village Las Grutas. Whale watching area in Golfo San Matías, Río Negro, Patagonia. Map modified from The activity started five years ago, when the operators of the only Diving School noticed that they have whales very close to the boats in every diving trip. The animals were very friendly and remained close to the boats despite the divers entering the water. They started to promote whale watching for the divers and the locals; when the activity became very successful it increased rapidly. Three more operators joined, and now they have four oceanic rubber

3 boats, with capacity for 12 to 16 persons each. The last season (2016) they embarked nearly 2000 tourists (300 children). The Province has legislated the activity in order to regulate whalewatching, with the purpose to minimize whale harassment and avoid an impact on the environment. The main condition is the size of the boats; they must be small, equal or smaller in size than an adult whale. The fact that the boats are smaller facilitates a friendly approach of the animals. The instruction is to slow and eventually stop the engine when the whale is seen, allowing the whale to approach to the boat if they want. And THEY WANT!!!! Pictures 1 to 12 illustrate the characteristic whale watching tour.he boats are small but there is enough room for the tourists to have a very good view of the animals and scientists to record behavior displays and photo ID.

4 Calves are especially friendly and active, and usually attracted by the bubbles and the noise of the motor in idle, popping out slowly although the boat is not moving. Calves and adults like to come to the side of the boat, going underwater and then surface suddenly and breathing noisily. Apparently they like the behavior of the watchers moving around and vocalizing when the whales shows off!!!

5 They were coming!! They were coming to us they were very interested!!. They were very close, watching us They were studying us If I extended my hand toward them they came more and more closer. I think they want to communicate with us!! I felt a hug emotion I cried and had a bit of fear too Later, the whale watchers are all speaking at the same time as they stepped over the mix of sand, rolling stones and crushed shells that is the classical Patagonian shore ground. To walk along the beach is not easy, but they seem not to notice. They are excited and share their joy. The end of the tour includes going back to the coastal wood cabin and drinking coffee or hot chocolate near the fireplace and coping with the cold and windy morning spent offshore. But nobody is thinking about beverages just now. The shared emotion had linked them in a strong brotherhood. Differences among them do not mind anymore. Age, gender, or level of education had lost significance. They were just humans subjugated by nature. The interaction with whales surpassed the expectations they had come with. One of the researchers, Mg Sc Sofia Aptekman from the School of the Sciences of Aging, who shared the whale watching experience said: We had arrived to Las Grutas to evaluate the impact that the contact with whales produces in older people. Therefore, we wanted to know if the whale watching experience (WWE), would be understood and expressed in the future as a transcendent project, framed into the paradigm of productive aging producing benefits for their own wellbeing and for other people, giving them the opportunity to participate in the care of the environment. We wondered if the contact with vulnerable specie would produce in the older people at any level a shared identity with the whale, from the conscience of reality about the finiteness and natural limitation of human life. Would this feeling of care and protection of the environment and wildlife remain as a simple moment of joy or it will promote a proactive attitude towards the education and environmental awareness of the generations that come after us?. Here are the results of one day of interviews; For our first approach we interviewed 12 older people (60 to 80 year old) and 8 young adults (20 to 39), 55% of them had postsecondary studies, some of them live in big cities, like Buenos Aires, and others came from little rural localities. From the aforementioned questions we asked specifically if the WWE had changed their previous perception about the human as part of the nature. The answers were surprisingly similar: The human being is just a small part of the whole We are so small and ignorant of the nature We need to be more in contact with nature

6 Humans are just one small part of the universe We should be more similar to wild animals I feel I m so small,.kind of they are much important than us. Through the collected answers we understood that the WWE had confronted them with a limit: the reality of nature. Far away from the old concepts and ways of thinking they had learned (superior animals vs. Inferior animals being the human the superior) the reality placed them face to face with a new limit that they have to corroborate. Zarebski (2014) says that the human being wants to have it all but life itself put limits along the way, and these limits mold the psyche from the early childhood and help in the construction of the self-identity. This adopted position in front of the limits accompanies the person for life long. During the aging process the big challenge is how we are able to stand in front of the new limits emerging with age, being the death the late and the big limit. We consider that the WWE was a relevant experience for the older, connecting them with a new emotion beyond their selves. At the beginning the elder people were concern about the small size of the boat Then, being interested in the speech of the guide onboard, they became more and more confident. One of them said : I feel as being part of a National Geographic expedition!!!!

7 every time I extended my hand they came closer Look, look ahead!! I feel a knot in my throat At this age, to have an experience like this! Now, I would die happy When we asked if the WWE was going to have any repercussion in their lives they didn t refer to themselves but put the accent on the transmission of the experience, overall to the youth: I ll tell my nieces and nephews what I saw!!! They have to come; they have to care the environment. I want to teach all the people to take care of the whales and marine environment I think that my nephew would be so happy having this connection with nature although it s not profitable he would enjoy it so much!! Now that I knew the whales, I think that we should care them more

8 I want to teach about the whales to children to all. I m going to tell all about the whales to family and friends I ll upload the videos and pictures to the social websites ERIKSON REALIZED THAT THIS KIND OF CARING CONCERN FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS IS IMPLIED IN THE CONCEPT GENERATIVITY, AND IT IS IN THE BROADEST SENSE A SORT OF ANCHOR LINK, A SYMBOLIC LINK TO IMMORTALITY THROUGH ACTS AND WORKS THAT WOULD SURVIVE THE INDIVIDUAL: VOLUNTEERISM, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, ETC. IMPROVE THE LIVING CONDITIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS AND IS RELATED TO TRASCENDENCE. A follow-up interview is planned to determine if this experience will influence the choice of a way of life that corresponds to what is called Productive Aging (Butler, 1995). Will it be expressed in the future as a voluntary educational task for the benefit of collective well-being? The follow-up interviews will show if the stimulus of contact with the whales was sufficient to awaken in them this transcendent concern or if it was only a first enthusiasm that was diluted upon returning home and rediscovering the vicissitudes of daily life. Erikson also realized that, though generativity is a dominant theme in the middle years (thirties, forties, and fifties), this kind of caring concern for future generations has its seeds in early adulthood the childbearing years and continues throughout the remainder of the lifespan. A sense of connectedness of one generation with another is implied in the concept, and generativity is, in the broadest sense, a symbolic link to immortality through acts and works that will survive the individual. Based on his own research as well as that of others, Dan McAdams (2001) stated that Highly generative adults tend to express a more spiritual understanding of life... than do less generative adults. Generativity is also positively associated with volunteerism, community involvement, and voting. Social institutions such as schools, churches, and government agencies depend on the generative efforts of adults. With children we work in a different approach with two modalities: The fieldwork was based on interviews after the WWE, and children expressed their impressions and feelings drawing what they had seen.

9 Pictures: groups of children being interviewed after the WWE, some of their draws, and commentaries: Facundo, (11 year old):. This pebble, they have here (while touching his head) then she turned around and I saw this (touching his eye). She wanted to play

10 Interviewer: Do you think they wanted to communicate? Facundo: I don t know, don t speak the whale s language!!!. Serena (11 year old): Obviously, she was watching us! she was spitting making PUFFFFFFFFFF [ ] I wanted to jump into the water We also went to the schools around the Las Grutas and San Antonio, working in the classroom in collaboration with the teachers, using different tools such as videos, toys and dramatization about marine biology and conservation issues. classroom work. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that WWE is an unforgettable experience, not just one more tour. Children are, in general, open to new experiences and find it natural and funny, although they may come with some fear of the sea, boats, or whales. They become interested asking questions to the guide and participating actively. They are enthusiastic and dedicated when we ask them to draw the experience. Elder people are initially a bit more concerned about the safety of the boats or they have a bit of fear about the immensity of the sea, although the coastal waters of the San Matias Gulf are mostly quiet. During the voyage they generally sat quietly but from the moment the whales appear all the fear evaporates!! They compete to gain a better place in the boat and to get closers to the whale. The small size of the boat and the reduce capacity onboard make this a unique experience, the encounter with the whales here is closer and more intimate, and the whales usually stay around until the boats leave. This is about more than the sustainable use of cetaceans, or an industry that helps to develop a coastal area. We believe that WW is an invaluable tool that promotes education and converts people to take care of wildlife and the environment. For the older the benefit is double. The experienced in the wild helps them to go through the perception of physic limitations they could have. And within the concept of productive aging, older people benefit from feeling and being included among protectors of the environment. Not a minor thing!!!! Marcela Junin, Ph D. Marine mammal lab. Fundación Felix de Azara. Buenos Aires. Argentina.

11 Mg Sc Sofia Aptekman, Gerontology Department, Maimonides University, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Edition: Stella Maris Alvarez, Fundación Felix de Azara, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Aknowledgments: To Hugo Patricio Castello, Marine Mammal Lab. Fundación Félix de Azara, for his review and advices. To Stella Maris Alvarez, Foundation Felix de Azara for her excellent work in editing and suggestions. To Claudio Barbieri and the Asociacion de Operadores Nauticos, Las Grutas Puerto del Este, for their support and concern in our work and the environmental care. To William Rossiter and the Cetacean Society International for their support and kindness. Another activities and Points of interest in Patagonia. Search Internet by title. Diving in Las Grutas: a clear experiencethe clear, warm waters of Las Grutas make the city a suitable place for diving. Fishing in the San Antonio Oeste - Las Grutas area I Las Grutas and San Antonio Oeste in Patagonia you can go boat fishing or from the beach. San Antonio Bay Nature ReserveSan Antonio Bay is one of the most important ecological reserves in Patagonia, covering about 50 km, between Las Grutas and Puerto San Antonio Este. In its wetlands, migratory birds rest and find the food necessary to survive. Fourtrax tours in Las GrutasFourtrax rides are a classic that you can't missed at the time to meet Las Grutas and its surrounding areas. The warm waters of Las Grutas. A combination of tides and atmospheric factors warm the waters of Las Grutas in the Patagonia. The only shellfish hatchery in the country is in Las Grutas Criar is the hatchery of the Institute of Marine and Fish Biology located in Las Grutas. The complex was opened in March 1997 to investigate the techniques that can be employed there. Fort Argentino: a place to discovera few kilometers from the beaches of Las Grutas there is a special place where to experience an adventure, Fort Argentino. Its landscape, its history, its mystique, all manage to amaze the tourists who visit Patagonia. National Blue Gulf Festival 1The Blue Gulf Festival and the Tide Festival are celebrated in Las Grutas in the month of February. You can enjoy free live shows, sports and other activities. Las Grutas: beaches, fishing, tours and more For those looking to stay away from the beaches of Las Grutas, you can find a few kilometers away several different activities and places to visit. Camping in Las Grutas Information and tips about camping in Las Grutas, the larges beach in Patagonia.