Research and Monitoring
In the months June to October, breeding humpback whales congregate off the coast of Gabon as part of an annual migration to the Gulf of Guinea. A research team based at Iguéla conducts daily offshore surveys during the season as part of a long-term study. Blubber samples are collected from as many whales as possible for genetic analysis and toxicology tests and at the same time each individual is photographed so as to build a photographic database, that serves as an additional tool for population size estimates. A number of whales have also been satellite tagged in order to track their migration routes. |
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