On the occasion of the whale season review meeting held at the beginning of the week, in the presence of the Sub-Prefect of Saint-Paul, institutions and professionals from the marine environment, Globice Réunion made the census public official humpback whale watch during the 2024 season.
Globice Reunion:
The analysis of more than 5,200 photo-identifications of humpback whale caudal fins, thanks in particular to our partnership with Happywhale, made it possible to count 416 unique individuals this year. This figure (which could still vary slightly) places 2024 in the top 3 of the best seasons in Reunion, confirming the upward trend observed for 20 years now, despite strong interannual variability.
A huge thank you to all the contributors to the KODAL participatory science program who made it possible to identify 42% of all of these individuals. 58% were done through the prospecting effort of Globice's scientific and volunteer teams.
Reunion Island is establishing itself as an important breeding area for humpback whales in the Indian Ocean. A status which requires redoubled conservation efforts to limit the impact of new threats weighing on these animals.
