Ilha Blue Island Safaris is committed to responsible and sustainable whale-watching practices in northern Mozambique, with a platform soon to launch that will track Humpback whales as they migrate thousands of kilometres up South Africa and East Africa’s coasts to breed and give birth in the warmer waters of northern Mozambique.
According to Pilale Isequiel, PR Head at Ilha Blue Island Safaris, whale watching around the world is growing rapidly.
A group of marine scientists, tourism operators, conservationists, local communities and government agencies are collaborating to develop an online platform to chart the progress of Humpback whales.
While the platform will act as an important communication hub for scientific researchers from South Africa all the way to Kenya, it is likely to become better known as a platform for whale enthusiasts, allowing them to receive the latest on where the whales are, what they are doing, and how best to view them.
“There aren't many places where whales can be seen so easily and in an intimate way, as in northern Mozambique,” says Isequiel, adding: “Mozambique can further differentiate itself from other destinations by placing the emphasis on observing whales from the beauty of a traditional Swahili dhow – not ships with lots of people and noise. This strategy is to coexist with the whales as they don’t like noise.”
Whale watching coincides with the busiest season in Mozambique as it is, therefore it is difficult to see if there were to be a massive increase in visitor numbers due to whale watching during this period. However, Isequiel says: “What can change are the reasons for visiting. Length of stay can increase as can expenditure per person. It could also be related to other marine species, which in a way forms part of this initiative.”
Little is known about the Humpbacks that visit northern Mozambique. Answers are likely to be provided once information starts to filter through from Cape Town, Durban, and Mozambican observers in Ponta do Ouro, Tofo Ilha De Mozambique and Ibo. This information will be shared with researchers in Tanzania, who are ready with a network of acoustic recorders deployed along the mainland coast, and other observers in Kenya and Madagascar.
Contributions to this research can be made by the public through the Citizen Science projects which are hosted along the migration route. One such project, Happy Whale, asks whale watchers to submit their whale tail images online, as whale tails, or ‘flukes’, have markings that are unique to individual whales. These images are processed using cutting-edge image algorithms to match new whale sightings with photographs already stored in scientific collections so that individual animals can be identified and tracked.
In addition, once images have been submitted, Happy Whale will provide immediate feedback on any matches and keep the user updated on all future sightings of ‘their whale’, as it moves around the migration zone and eventually back to Antarctica.
Credits: Ilha Blue.
Ilha Blue, in addition to providing a number of water-based tours, is actively promoting responsible whale watching, as they are members of the World Cetacean Alliance, further using their networks along with an online presence to reach people around the world. “We are also part of a South and East African network that follows the migration route, with members in SA, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar. Currently we have a US-based whale education expert volunteering with us to do training,” adds Isequiel.
A launch date of the East and South African whale migration platform will be announced shortly.
For more information, email pete@ilhablue.com.
