An average of five Bryde’s whales are born every year in the Gulf of Thailand, off the Samut Sakhon coast, compared to the average of two fatalities, based on carcasses found, according to the marine and coastal resources research centre.
The research centre has been conducting a survey of the Bryde’s whale population in the Gulf for the past 13 years, using photographic identification.
Over 100 have been found in the area, which is rich in anchovies, their main source of food. 92 of the whales have been identified, including 22 females which have given birth to 60 calves.
The research team has recently found a female, identified as “Kanya” which was first sighted in the Gulf in 2010, and her calf swimming together.
The area is also, however, regularly frequented by trawlers and freighters and several whales have been found with propeller wounds or dead following collisions with vessels or from consuming plastic bags.
