Dear Colleagues, This is to announce a new paper in the book Libro de la Costa (R MENAFRA, L RODRÍGUEZ-GALLEGO, F SCARABINO & D CONDE (eds) 2006 Bases para la conservación y el manejo de la costa uruguaya VIDA SILVESTRE (Sociedad Uruguaya para la Conservación de la Naturaleza) Ballena franca Eubalaena australis en la costa atlántica uruguaya MARIANA PIEDRA, PAULA COSTA & PAULA FRANCO-FRAGUAS francaaustral@fcien.edu.uy ABSTRACT The right whale (Eubalaena australis) was on the verge of extinction, between the XVIII and XIX centuries, due to the whaling industry. Research done in Argentina and Brazil suggest that this species is recovering in the Southwest Atlantic. During summer, it is found in feeding grounds in high latitudes, and in winter it migrates to medium (40ºS) and low latitudes (20ºS) for mating and calving. Each animal presents a callosity pattern on its head, allowing for individual identification. The first systematic study to evaluate the presence of right whales along the Uruguayan coast was performed during 2001-2003. Aerial monthly surveys were done from July to November, covering 220 km of coastline. Simultaneous observations were also done twice a month from nine fixed points located along the coast. The period with higher whale concentrations were August and October. Great variability was observed in whale distribution within and between survey seasons, suggesting that there is no preference for a certain area of the coast. It is necessary to continue with the research in order to evaluate if the Uruguayan coast could be an ancestral reproductive site under a recovery process. The obtained information is relevant for establishing conservation issues in Uruguay and the region. If you are interested in, you can download freely at this address: http://www.karumbe.org/publicaciones/piedra06.pdf Regards Alejandro Fallabrino Karumbé Centro de Investigación & Conservación Marina Av. Giannattasio 30.5 km. El Pinar, Canelones, Uruguay 099917811 + 598 99917811 afalla7@gmail.com www.karumbe.org http://tortugasaso.blogspot.com/ Messenger: afalla71@msn.com Skype: afalla1 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.8/941 - Release Date: 07/08/2007 04:06 p.m.