Whales are having to migrate further afield due to shrinking Antarctic foraging zones which contain less food, according to analysis on the impacts of climate change by the WWF.
Migratory whales may need to travel an extra 500 kilometres south to hunt out their crucial foraging zone. Species most affected will include the Blue Whale and the Humpback, which are only just back from the brink of extinction.
Both species build up their food reserves which help them survive throughout the year. As foraging zones move southward and reduce in overall area, sea ice is also expected to reduce the abundance of food for whales in the feeding areas. With the level of global warming predicted over the next 40 years, winter sea-ice coverage of the Southern Ocean will be declining by up to 30 per cent in some crucial areas.
With the 80 nation International Whaling Commission meeting in Chile, now is the time for the I.W.C to take the opportunity to look at ways to increase the resilience of whale populations. The WWF will be recommending the protection of critical habitats and for limiting non-climate stresses to whale populations such as overfishing and pollution.
