Winter 2021 Gray Whale Research Begins:

The COVID-19 Pandemic has put a new face on our gray whale field research, but we are on-site and collecting basic observations on the gray whales. (Read more here)

Our small field research teams arrived at Laguna San Ignacio and Bahía Magdalena in mid-January to begin preliminary surveys of the gray whales and to observe the general conditions in each area.  This year all of our researchers come from the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur’s (UABCS) Marine Mammal Program (PRIMMA) in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Our colleagues and collaborators from outside of Mexico are staying home for the winter because of the risks of traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s new observations include:

New species of cetaceans observed within Laguna San Ignacio

Numbers of gray whales in Laguna San Ignacio and Bahia Magdalena beginning to increase

A newborn gray whale encountered during photo-ID survey

(see more on LSIESP website)