Our Conservation Monitoring Officer, Ellie, and ORCA Marine Mammal Surveyor, Sarah have travelled to the Southern Ocean and boarded HX Expeditions MS Fram this week to start ORCA’s Southern Ocean Distance Sampling Project for the 2025-2026 Antarctic season.
Teams of ORCA Research Scientists will be collecting data on large whales in the Southern Ocean until March 2026 as part of an exciting Darwin plus project to create a sustainable framework for monitoring whales at South Georgia. The project is in collaboration with the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), British Antarctic Survey, HX, and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
The project aims to better understand the abundance and distribution of recovering whale populations in the Southern Ocean, with a particular focus on large baleen whales around South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. ORCA devised and conducted a bespoke research project for the 2022-2023 Antarctic season, and this important research is now in its fourth consecutive year.
By identifying high density areas, ORCA hopes to enable mitigation measures to be implemented to protect these incredible animals in this area where shipping traffic is increasing. Data collected during the first three years of the project has already been used to safeguard whales in these areas, contributing to seasonal protected areas for large whales around South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula – conservation in action!
Ellie and Sarah have settled into life on board MS Fram, delivering presentations to guests about ORCA’s onboard research and conducting training with the Expedition Team and other Guest Scientists on board who will be assisting with our distance sampling bridge surveys.
Ellie and Sarah have already recorded Commerson’s dolphins, Peale’s dolphins, sei whales and humpback whales during their surveys around the Falkland Islands, and are excited to be continuing with more bridge distance sampling surveys as they travel to South Georgia this week.
The only way we can protect whales and dolphins is by understanding their distribution, and so monitoring is vital for effective conservation. Donate today to help ORCA continue to identify and study important whale hotspots around the world by visiting www.orca.org.uk/donate