Humpback whale tagging in Reunion Island
The MIROMEN program, led by Globice, aims to assess the migratory routes to feeding grounds of humpback whales breeding in the south-western Indian Ocean. For this purpose, humpback whales were tagged around Reunion Island in 2019 (n=1) and 2022 (n=11). Among the 11 whales tagged in August-early September 2019, one reached the waters of Antarctica (see the tracks here). Three whales converged toward the plateau of Crozet, in sub-Antarctic waters. Among them, two young males stayed there for 1 and 2.5 months respectively, before their tags stopped transmitting. The archipelago of Crozet is located on the sub-antarctica front and is a very productive area and it is hypothesised that the whales remained there in order to feed.
Contributor : Violaine Dulau
