53 humpback whales were recorded off the coast of El Salvador during the 2020-21 season

A total of 53 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) visited the coast of El Salvador, in Central America, from November 2020 to April 2021. February and March registered the highest number of sightings of these marine mammals, which had a maximum residence of 15 days in the Protected Natural Area and Ramsar site Complejo Los Cóbanos, in Acajutla, Sonsonate.

This is the first time that the country has this information, thanks to a scientific investigation that was developed in collaboration between the National Cetacean Conservation Program and the Megaptera El Salvador Project, with the aim of recording sightings and photographing these specimens, mainly its tail fins, which are unique for each individual.

The organizations carry out marine tours, where they record the impressive song of the humpback whales that visit the coast and obtain skin samples for genetic analysis. During the tours they also recorded sightings of other species of cetaceans such as the tropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), of the Delphinidae family.

The teams were able to record an individual Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni), a species belonging to the Balaenopteridae family; and a score of tropical spotted dolphins.

These data are part of the preliminary results of the “Cetacean Distribution, Behavior and Conservation Research Report”, prepared by Salvadoran biologists Melvin Castaneda and Rebeca Valencia, with the support of specialists Nicola Ransome (England) and Marlenne Vázquez (Mexico) , of the Megaptera Project; and that is part of the National Cetacean Conservation Program.

The rangers and guardians from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) have been of great support for this research, which has also been supported and financed by organizations such as Cascadia Research Collective, The Rufford Foundation, Idea Wild, La Orca de Sayulita, Fundación Naturaleza El Salvador, ADEL Sonsonate and tour operators from the Los Cóbanos area.

The humpback whales that visit the Salvadoran coasts belong to the Central American population unit and, according to specialists from the region, this population is in “danger of extinction”, since it is estimated that there are between 400 and 600 individuals.

These marine mammals are known to remain in the Central American Pacific between the months of November to March to reproduce (warm areas) and then migrate to the Pacific coast of the United States to feed (cold areas).

These data are important to carry out actions aimed at the conservation of cetacean species and to implement regulations to continue ordering responsible sighting tourism.

*with information from the Ministry of the Environment of El Salvador