Helping Starlings to Recover
The decline of insect populations is one of the greatest threats to Starlings. This loss is visibly reflected...
Algoa Bay Whale Heritage Area
Algoa Bay, South Africa
The ‘Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World’, with cetaceans in the bay all year round and the largest colony of African penguins in the world.
Discover Algoa Bay, the Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World, and witness incredible marine biodiversity, including Humpback Whales, Southern Right Whales, Great White Sharks and 13 species of cetacean.
Algoa Bay is a unique destination and arguably one of the most outstanding marine environments when it comes to biodiversity. The bay provides warm shallow waters for Southern right whales to mate and have their calves, and also serves as a nursery for humpback whales before they migrate South to their feeding grounds. In 2016, Algoa Bay was named the Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World, with pods of over six hundred Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins regularly present.
Stories
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Murmuration Maths
Accurate data is the foundation of conservation; without precise counts, we cannot truly understand the challenges birds face.
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Raising the Murmur to a Shout
Steve Geliot, a local artist and Starling expert, frequently engages with the community through talks at venues like...
Experiences
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Welcoming the Whales
The Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whale Migration Route awareness celebrations begin with a “Welcoming the Whales" Festival.
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Raggy Charters Whale Watching
Raggy Charters is one of the oldest Marine Eco Tour companies combining tours and conservation in Africa.
Species & habitat
Algoa Bay is home to 13 species of cetacean, including humpback whales, Southern right whales, Bryde's whales, fin whales, sei whales, minke whales, pygmy sperm whales, sperm whales, killer whales, false killer whales, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.
Humpback whales appear from June to December, while Southern right whales can be seen from July to October. Bryde’s and minke whales are in the bay year-round. There are frequent sightings of rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in the shallower areas of the bay, often with newborn calves, which suggests this species is calving in the bay.
Threats
Algoa Bay is a busy waterway with OPL (Off Port Limits) operations, fishing (both commercial and recreational) and shipping. The main threats to cetaceans are fishing nets (in use and also discarded), and increased shipping traffic from a ship-to-ship bunkering operation within the bay. This increases the probability of cetaceans falling victim to ship strikes. Oil spills from ship-to-ship bunkering threaten the colony of endangered African penguins, therefore Bryde's whales and minke whales could be at risk as they rely on the penguins to feed.
Did you know?
- Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin's dorsal fin shape can vary, but always sits on top of a very broad base, or hump. This hump is more pronounced in Indian Ocean and Atlantic species.
- Individual cetaceans, or groups of cetaceans, should not be visited more than twice a day by the same operator and should have a minimum of 3-hours break between visits.
- The minke whale continues to be hunted in nations such as Iceland, Norway and Japan.
- Humpback whales have one of the longest migrations of any mammal as some will swim 16,000km to and from their breeding grounds.
- The right whale got its name from whalers who called it the "right" whale to hunt. They swim slowly and float after death.
Supporters & assessors
Each Wildlife Heritage Area is assessed by a species or habitat expert from a reputable non-profit organisation or academic institution. The assessor represents a supporting organisation able to provide the advice, information, and contacts needed to complete the designation process.
Designated by by World Cetacean Alliance
