Salmon farming boat traffic threatens blue whales

Astudy published in the scientific journal Nature in January finds that the endangered blue whale is threatened by boat collisions off the coast of northern Chilean Patagonia and Chiloe Island. Moreover, 83 percent of the up to 1000 boats that move through these waters each day belong to the salmon farming industry.

The blue whale – the world's largest mammal – feeds and raises its young off Chilean Patagonia. The scientists estimate that between 200 and 700 individual blue whales populate the zone in question. Using satellite tracking of the whales and vessel traffic data released by the Chilean fisheries service, the scientists show precisely where the collisions happen.

“Field observations that we have carried out indicate that when blue whales feed, they practically only pay attention to this activity,” said Rodrigo Hucke-gaete, a marine mammal biologist at the Universidad Austral and co- author of the study. “This makes them more prone to being hit by boats and particularly at night, when, according to other investigations, whales are on average closer to the surface as a result of their food also rising to the surface.”