南非夫妇近日目睹了一支由近300头座头鲸组成的超大群体，这一景象印证了鲸鱼数量的显著复苏。[1]座头鲸种群从1986年国际捕鲸禁令生效前的不足1万头，已恢复至如今超过10万头规模，被视为海洋保护领域最为成功的案例之一。[1]普瑞托利亚大学首席科学家埃尔斯·维梅伦表示，这"是海洋环境中最强大的保护成功案例之一"。[1]这类超级群体的观察始于2012年前后，近年来观察频率明显增加。[1]
然而，伴随着以色列-哈马斯战争和伊朗冲突升级，鲸鱼面临新的生存威胁。[1]由于红海运输风险加剧，绕行非洲南端的货轮数量自2023年12月以来增长了四倍，船只碰撞成为威胁座头鲸的关键因素。[1]虽然座头鲸种群总体复苏态势良好，但全球14种大鲸鱼中仍有7种被列为濒危或易危状态，其中北大西洋露脊鲸数量仅约380头，已被定为极度濒危。[1]船只缠绕和气候变化等因素继续危害鲸类生存。[1]
A South African couple recently witnessed nearly 300 humpback whales gathered in a massive aggregation, marking what is believed to be the largest single sighting of such a supergroup on record [1]. This remarkable congregation underscores the dramatic recovery of humpback populations since an international whaling ban took effect in 1986 [1]. The species has rebounded from fewer than 10,000 individuals at the peak of commercial hunting to more than 100,000 today [1], representing what scientists describe as one of the ocean's most significant conservation successes.
Els Vermeulen, a chief scientist at the University of Pretoria, called the recovery "one of the most powerful conservation success stories in the marine environment" [1]. Supergroups of humpbacks began appearing around 2012 and have continued to emerge as populations stabilized and grew [1]. However, this conservation triumph now faces an unexpected threat. Since December 2023, the number of cargo ships rerouting around Africa's southern tip has quadrupled, driven by security concerns stemming from the Israel-Hamas war and escalating Iranian tensions in the Red Sea [1]. This surge in maritime traffic has intensified the risk of ship strikes against whales.
Among whale species, the challenges remain acute for others less fortunate than humpbacks. Approximately seven of the world's 14 large whale species are classified as endangered or vulnerable [1], while North Atlantic right whales number just 380 individuals and face extinction-level danger [1]. Beyond ship collisions, whales continue to confront threats from entanglement in fishing gear and climate change impacts [1].