RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Sightings of humpback whales off Rio de Janeiro’s coast are surging as they recover from decimation due to commercial whaling, prompting an acceleration in the demand for whale-watching excursions to spot the huge marine creatures during their annual migration.
The species’ population has jumped from around 2,000 to around 35,000 in approximately 40 years, close to their population before whaling, said Enrico Marcovaldi, co-founder of the Humpback Whale Project. That means they are increasingly being spotted in Rio’s postcard Guanabara Bay.
“It’s wonderful. It shows that the whales are making a recovery, are healthy and thriving, and hopefully they’ll continue to do so,” said Marcovaldi.
In 1982, the International Whaling Commission decided that there should be a pause in commercial whaling on all whale species and populations from the 1985/1986 season onward.
Louise Raulais, who runs the Rio Ocean Club with her partner Theo Andrade, is among those who see the tourism opportunities in the whales’ resurgence.
This year, the company began offering sailboat trips for between five and 10 people to observe the whales. Raulais said they always have a biologist onboard to share information, which can stimulate a desire to protect the whales and the ocean.
“These animals are so iconic and charismatic that they have the power to transform people, to change the way they see the world,” said Raulais.
Humpback whales are known for roaming long distances across major oceans in predictable patterns, typically following migration routes learned from their mothers. They feed on krill and small fish in the warmer months and breed in tropical waters over winter.
Between June and November, thousands of humpback whales migrate through Brazilian waters, traveling roughly 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean to breeding and calving grounds off northeastern Brazil.
Most gather around the Abrolhos Bank, a coral reef region spanning the coasts of Bahia and Espirito Santo that is one of the South Atlantic’s most biodiverse marine environments.
The Humpback Whale Project set up a scientific expedition, scheduled to run from June 26 to July 9, to study the humpback whales’ behavior, size and health, as well as identify their travel route, key gathering areas, and to measure how far offshore the whales pass.
“They’re exploring this area,” said Pedro Fróes, a biologist for the Humpback Whale Project who is part of the expedition. “They want to find out whether, in the future, it could become a place for them to rest, to mate, or to give birth to a calf,” Fróes said.
This article by Diarlei Rodrigues and Eléonore Hughes, Associated Press was first published by Mongabay on 2 July 2026. Lead Image: A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Image by Dhavid Normando via Associated Press.
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Such words as “thousands” are misused to suggest actual large numbers.
Just as HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of humans live in my little county alone, and thousands of millions live in two nations alone, do not be misled by claims of “thousands” being meaningful.
Quantitative mammalogists note that above 5 thousand to 9 thousand alone are bare minimums to prevent descent into homozygosity and consequent inbreeding depression leading within a few generations to extinction.
A generation of bowhead whales, K-selected long lived mammals is longer than mice, for example who may live just over a year, producing greater numbers by far in their lifetime than does a whale.
Oceans cover 70%+ of earth, and thus any number of animals inhabiting the ocean are FAR more dispersed = far more rare, than such a number on land.
Since we are merely ourselves mid-trophic omnivores with a penchant for lethally excluding other animals except for Slave domestics, , meaning we KILL trees and animals without need or purpose, we are NOT valid judges or deciders of ANYTHING rational.