In this segment, Chris and Claire talk about the return of the blue whale to the western tropical Indian Ocean.
Coming on the show to discuss these findings is Dr. Jeremy Kiszka, a biology professor at Florida International University and a research associate at the Island Biodiversity and Conservation Center, at the University of Seychelles. Dr. Kiszka is also a Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) project leader investigating the importance of Seychelles for cetaceans.
Of the four subspecies known to exist, it's the pygmy blue whale that visits Seychelles. Scientists confirmed that the songs of the Sri Lankan acoustic group were recorded on their hydrophones.
The confirmation of blue whales is significant because Seychelles was a major hunting ground for Soviet whalers in the 20th century. As a new member of the International Whaling Commission in 1978, the Republic of Seychelles successfully lobbied to protect the Indian Ocean from whaling. Today, there have been five confirmed sightings over the course of five years.
