Whalers slaughtered the creatures between the turn of the century and 1935, when the hunt was banned. They killed so many whales that most scientists thought the population would never survive. Recently, however, through the efforts of Brazilian and Argentine conservationists and scientists, the population has been able to make a unprecedented comeback.
"We are seeing a true revitalization," said Jose Truda Palazzo, whose Right Whale Project in Brazil has drawn plaudits and support from the country's government. "These whales are back and they are here to stay. In Argentina, Arias and Harris compared photos of 137 of the estimated 2,500 - 2,700 whales off the Argentine coast with the subpopulation of 3,000 around the tip of South Africa and the 1,500 between New Zealand and Australia. The survey identified the mammals by their unique array of calluses on their heads and around their blowholes. U.S. marine biologist Roger Payne, who is credited with discovering these markings, estimates Argentina's southern right whale population growth at 7.7 percent per year. According to Harris, the survey's goal was to record the whale's recovery and migratory patterns. Some scientists believe the South American and South African whales meet between Buenos Aires and Cape Town - around the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in middle of the South Atlantic - to mate. The number of whales around those islands was so high at one point that a whaling community was established on the archipelago. Because of this checkered past, Arias said he considers the recent population resurgence even more of a victory for conservation.
"It is truly remarkable," he said.
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