Preliminary characterization and diel variation of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) downsweep calls off Isla Chañaral, northern Chile

Resumen: The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a large cosmopolitan cetacean whose range covers most of the world’s oceans from temperate to polar latitudes. The fin whale has been classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and as Endangered by Chile’s Ministry of the Environment (http://www.mma.gob.cl), based on the sharp reduction of its populations due to intensive commercial whaling off Chile from 1964 to 1966, and off the Antarctica Peninsula from 1911 to 1929. Today, fin whales in Chile are distributed from Antofagasta (23°29′S) to Cape Horn (56°48′S), including the Juan Fernández Archipelago. The fin whale populations off Chile could be part of populations migrating to the Southern Ocean, but this has not yet been determined.

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