PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DEL ... - Yaqu Pacha

from one year to the next and it could be a threat for the whales if the correct policies are
not taken to use the resource in a responsible and respectful way.
The management of this species has to be related with the aggregation concept in
both areas because each one of them is having different tourism stress. This stress is
unequal, the number of boats, tourists and demand of these activities are less strong in
Esmeraldas than in Manabí. Because there is not whales interchanging between both areas,
each whale aggregation is under the same tourism stress during their staying, and the lack
of individuals movements will not make possible decrease the tourism impact over the
whales.
It is also necessary to continue with the study of the two humpback whales
aggregations to determine the possible relationships between them.
Key words: aggregations, breeding grounds, Ecuador, humpback whale, Megaptera
novaeangliae, movements, photo-identification.
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