Biblioteca

Population  abundance  and  demographic  trends  of  the humpback whale Breeding Stock G (BSG) were estimated from land-based monitoring at the Santa Elena Peninsula tip, Ecuador (2º11’22” S, 81º00’0.6” W). The study was conducted between May and December from 2010 to 2024. The effort included 3,479.5 hours of observation from a land station, during which 7,218 whale groups were recorded. Boat-based data were used to complement land-based observations. Humpback whales arrived in early May, and last observations occurred in December. The northbound migration peak occurred in late June. The observation rate increased from 0.699 whale per hour in 2010 to 4.19 whales per hour in 2024, concordant with an increase in the population. Based on an estimated intrinsic population growth rate of 0.119, we estimated the population to be 27,864 (CI 95% 26,354-29,293) whales in 2024. The calf production rate for the period was 0.152. The average annual survival rate of the population was 0.956.