The Alfaguara project is a

marine life Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. At a fundamental level, marine life affects the nature of the planet. M ...

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

project operated from Puñihuil in the northwest of

Chiloé Island Chiloé Island ( es, Isla de Chiloé, , ) also known as Greater Island of Chiloé (''Isla Grande de Chiloé''), is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the west coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. The island is located in southern ...

, the main island in the

Chiloé Archipelago The Chiloé Archipelago ( es, Archipiélago de Chiloé, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and t ...

southern Chile Southern Chile is an informal geographic term for any place south of the capital city, Santiago, or south of Biobío River, the mouth of which is Concepción, about {{convert, 200, mi, km, sigfig=1, order=flip south of Santiago. Generally cities ...

. "Alfaguara" was the name given to

blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...

s by Chilean whalers. The focus of the project is on preservation of these endangered animals, the largest in the world. The project is operated by the Centro de Conservacion Cetacea (CCC), established in 2001. Its studies have made the Chiloé blue whale population one of the best understood in the southern hemisphere.

Organization

The Alfaguara Project was launched in 2004 and combines a long-term program of scientific research with local education and community building. It looks for ways to use whales in Chilean waters and preserve the marine ecosystem that do not involve killing the whales. It is recognized as a marine conservation initiative of national interest. In 2008 the government of Chile agreed with the Alfaguara Project's request to establish a whale sanctuary following a poll in which 98% of citizens voted in favor. The project depends on the informed participation of the northwest coastal community of Chiloé and also involves national authorities and international experts. It is sponsored by the General Directorate of Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It has been assisted by the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, Global Ocean and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. The

Pacific Whale Foundation The Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1980 and based in Maui, Hawaii that conducts whale research and educates the public in an effort to save vulnerable species of whales from extinction. As of 2012 the ...

provided funding for the 2012 season.

Conservation issues

The part of the

Chilean Sea The Chilean Sea is the portion of the Pacific Ocean lying west of the Chilean mainland. The official Chilean usage for Chilean Sea was defined on 30 May 1974 when the ''Diario oficial de la Republica de Chile'' published Supreme Decree #346, ...

immediately northwest of Chiloé is an important long-term feeding area for blue whales. In the period between 1926 and 1967 whaling ships slaughtered about 97% of the blue whales in the southern Pacific. The relatively small and isolated population remaining near the Chiloé is threatened by the risk of collision from increasing volumes of shipping, noise and pollution from a Norwegian salmon farming operation and possibly from rising ocean temperatures leading to changes in the food species available to the whales. A 2007 survey showed that many of the whales feeding in the area were thin and/or had skin lesions. Causes of the skin lesions include

cookiecutter shark The cookiecutter shark (''Isistius brasiliensis''), also called the cigar shark, is a species of small squaliform shark in the family Dalatiidae. This shark occurs in warm, oceanic waters worldwide, particularly near islands, and has been rec ...

bites and skin disease, thought to be caused by types of

calicivirus The ''Caliciviridae'' are a family of "small round structured" viruses, members of Class IV of the Baltimore scheme. Caliciviridae bear resemblance to enlarged picornavirus and was formerly a separate genus within the picornaviridae. They are p ...

and

poxvirus ''Poxviridae'' is a family of double-stranded DNA viruses. Vertebrates and arthropods serve as natural hosts. There are currently 83 species in this family, divided among 22 genera, which are divided into two subfamilies. Diseases associated wit ...

. Both families of virus are associated with a degraded marine environment.

Conservation activities

Investigators have been identifying individual whales through examination of photographs that show the patterns on their flanks. In the 2007 season the project made 17 marine surveys, photo-identifying 188 individuals. The researchers also collected samples of faeces and zooplankton, made sound recordings, measured environmental parameters and collected data about individual behavior. The 2007 surveys also recording

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...

s and

Risso's dolphin Risso's dolphin (''Grampus griseus'') is a dolphin, the only species of the genus ''Grampus''. Some of the closest related species to these dolphins include: pilot whales (''Globicephala'' spp.), pygmy killer whales (''Feresa attenuata''), melon ...

s. Data was supplemented by land-based observations and aerial surveys. As of 2012 the team had identified 363 individuals, with almost one third seen more than once in the period between 2009 and 2011. The detailed information will provide deeper understanding of the whales' habits and how they are affected by changes to their environment, including acoustic issues. Other species such as

fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of cet ...

sei whale The sei whale ( , ; ''Balaenoptera borealis'') is a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale. It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical ...

s, and

southern minke whale The Antarctic minke whale or southern minke whale (''Balaenoptera bonaerensis'') is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second smallest rorqual after the common minke whale and the third smallest baleen whale ...

s are also confirmed in the area. Possibly, the region is functioning as the most important forging area for critically endangered

southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...

s that face near extinction in the nation.

Ecotourism

The coastal community has been involved in whale spotting and in developing responsible marine

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

, thus contributing to the conservation program while benefiting from it economically. Whales may be sighted from the shore. Boat-based

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins ( cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

is limited by the weather conditions and type of vessel required to perhaps 1,000 visitors annually, but should be economically viable. There is additional revenue potential from providing food and lodging to ecotourists, sale of souvenirs, trekking and horse-riding and other activities. Other areas such as around

Caleta Zorra Caleta Zorra (meaning "Bay of foxes" in Spanish) is an enclosed, half-moon shaped inlet on the Pacific coast of Chiloé Island in Los Lagos region, southern Chile. Lying north of Punta Pabellion, it is located among Punta Zorra and Punta Barranc ...

are also suitable for whale watching activities.Archived a
Ghostarchive
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Wayback Machine
Chiloé is home to the main colony of

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

s in Chile. Three islands about off the Puñihuil beach are important breeding sites for Magellanic and Humboldt penguins in the summer months between September and March. The islands are also breeding grounds for

sooty shearwater The sooty shearwater (''Ardenna grisea'') is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand, it is also known by its Māori name , and as muttonbird, like its relatives the wedge-tailed shearwater (''A. pacificus' ...

and are home to endangered

marine otter The marine otter (''Lontra felina'') is a rare and relatively unknown South American mammal of the weasel family ( Mustelidae). The scientific name means "otter cat", and in Spanish, the marine otter is also often referred to as : "marine c ...

s. In 1999 they were designated the

Islotes de Puñihuil Natural Monument Islotes de Puñihuil Natural Monument is a Chilean Natural Monument located southwest of Ancud. It consists of three islets off the western coast of Chiloé Island to the west and north of Puñihuil. The monument is notable for being the only kn ...

. Following a study by the Alfaguara Project the ecotourism boat operators agreed to work together as an association, reducing the number of penguin-watching trips to the islands so as to maximize net income.

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite web , url=http://www.pacificwhale.org/content/pwf-assists-study-blue-whales-chile , publisher=

, title=PWF ASSISTS WITH STUDY OF BLUE WHALES IN CHILE , accessdate=2012-04-01 {{cite web , url=http://www.ccc-chile.org/view_articulo-224-51_224-758-proyecto_alfaguara.html , title=Proyecto Alfaguara , language=Spanish , publisher=Centro de Conservación Cetacea , accessdate=2012-04-01 {{cite journal , url = http://csiwhalesalive.org/newsletters/csi06106.html , publisher = Cetacean Society International , journal = Whales Alive! , volume = XV , issue = 1 , date = January 2006 , title = CSI Projects , author = William Rossiter , accessdate = 2012-04-01 , archive-url = https://archive.today/20130414130513/http://csiwhalesalive.org/newsletters/csi06106.html , archive-date = 2013-04-14 , url-status = dead {{cite web , url=http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/files/RSG_AlfaguaraProjectFinalReport_0.pdf , title=Alfaguara project , publisher=Rufford Small Grant s Foundation , date=January 2008 , accessdate=2012-04-01 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218060125/http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/files/RSG_AlfaguaraProjectFinalReport_0.pdf , archivedate=2012-02-18 {{cite web , url=http://www.speciesconservation.org/projects/Blue-Whale/400 , title=Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) , publisher=Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund , accessdate=2012-04-02 Chiloé Archipelago Baleen whales Nature conservation in Chile Whale conservation Blue whales Animal welfare organisations based in Chile

Organization

Conservation issues

Conservation activities

Ecotourism

See also

References