In 1979, the Indian Ocean was designated a whale sanctuary by the International Whaling Commission. It was a critical and timely decision—by then, many populations of great whales had been hunted to near extinction, with some subpopulations reduced to less than 5% of their original size. Today, we are privileged to witness the slow recovery of the East African humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population, with Mozambique’s coastline offering a vital refuge along their migratory route.Â
Humpback whale breaching. (Orlando Miranda + Salvador Colvee/BCSS)
Every trip our team takes—whether for diving, research, or exploration—offers the chance to witness these majestic animals up close. With their massive, wing-like pectoral fins (which inspired the name Megaptera, or “Big Wing” in old Latin), humpback whales are both breathtaking and deeply symbolic of ocean resilience.Â
A Gentle Science: Photo-Identification of WhalesÂ
Photo-identification, or photo-ID, is a non-invasive method that allows researchers to recognize individual whales based on natural markings, particularly those on the ventral side of the tail fluke. These unique features—such as pigmentation patterns, scarring, trailing edge shape, and notches—are captured as the whale dives, raising its fluke above the water.Â
By comparing fluke photographs across time and space, scientists can track individual whales, revealing patterns of movement, estimating population sizes, and identifying how different subpopulations interact.Â
Humpback whale flukes. (Orlando Miranda + Salvador Colvee/BCSS)
Happywhale: Technology and Citizen Science in ActionÂ
At the heart of this approach is Happywhale.com, a global platform combining automated image recognition with citizen science. More than 400,000 photo-ID encounters have been submitted to date, identifying over 112,000 individual humpback whales.Â
Photos uploaded to the site are compared against a massive reference library using computer vision image recognition. Matches are confirmed or rejected by expert data managers, while unmatched images that meet quality standards are added as new individuals. Contributors—from researchers to recreational whale watchers—are essential to this process, and every photo strengthens our collective understanding of whales and the oceans they inhabit.Â
Happywhale is not just about big datasets—it’s about individual stories. One unforgettable case involved a juvenile humpback disentangled by the Hawaiian Entanglement Response Team in 2017. Years later, that same whale was rediscovered, alive and thriving, its scars now healed. That moment underscored the power of long-term tracking, collaboration, and hope.Â
Rethinking Migration: West to East, Not Just North to SouthÂ
Traditionally, humpback whale migration has been understood as a latitudinal journey—traveling from polar feeding grounds to equatorial breeding areas and back, which is true for the great majority of individual whales. But thanks to the data collected and analyzed through Happywhale, a new narrative is emerging.Â
Recent longitudinal matches—some spanning entire ocean basins—have revealed astonishing travel patterns. For instance:Â
- One whale was photographed in Ecuador in 1996 and then seen two years later in Brazil, separated by more than 40 degrees of longitude.Â
- Another was tracked between Brazil and Madagascar, a distance of at least 9,800 kilometers.Â
- A third individual was photographed in both Madagascar and Gabon.Â
- One adult male undertook a journey spanning at least 13,046 kilometers, potentially as much as 18,000 kilometers, linking populations from the East Pacific to the Southwest Indian Ocean – read the full story here.Â
These discoveries highlight how ocean-wide connections may influence conservation strategies across continents.Â
Squares represent primary feeding grounds of the Southern Hemisphere humpback whales Breeding Stocks (BS) A–G, while semicircles represent their respective core breeding grounds. Map produced by Dr Aylin Akkaya.Â
Mozambique Joins the Global ConversationÂ
BCSS is proud to be part of this global effort, contributing fluke photographs from around the Bazaruto Archipelago to fill a crucial data gap in East African whale research. Though our catalogue is still growing, it has already yielded a notable match: humpback whale HW-MN0902100 was first photographed in 2009 off St. Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa by Advantage Tours. Thirteen years later, our team photographed the same whale off Bazaruto, during an expedition supported by Dr. Els Vermeulen and Alex Vogel.Â
This whale remains unnamed, and that’s where you come in. Through our “Name the Whale” campaign, individuals and organizations can sponsor a whale, contributing to both BCSS and Happywhale. Funds raised are shared equally, supporting further research, conservation, and community outreach.Â
BCSS on the Happywhale platform. (Happywhale)
A Strategic Decision: Feeding Happywhale, Not Fragmenting ItÂ
The BCSS Ocean Observatory is committed to sharing all whale fluke photos directly with Happywhale as the sole formal channel. This decision reflects our belief in amplifying collaborative impact through a single, globally integrated system—Happywhale—and ensuring all data directly benefit its broader scientific and citizen community.Â
In fact, our team’s discovery of a record-breaking whale migration across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, made possible thanks to Happywhale’s infrastructure and support network, was the catalyst for launching our own dedicated photo-ID database. Originally, the BCSS Ocean Observatory was conceived to focus on oceanographic and atmospheric monitoring—such as water chemistry, weather, and long-term ecosystem surveys. However, the demonstrated scientific and conservation value of whale tracking led us to expand our scope to include marine mammal research and dedicate resources—boats, logistics, staff—to feed directly into the Happywhale platform.Â
Humpback whale. (Orlando Miranda + Salvador Colvee/BCSS)
Join the BCSS Photo-ID ProgramÂ
Next season, BCSS invites researchers, students, and ocean enthusiasts to join our Photo-ID Program. This is a unique opportunity to assist in fluke photography, data sorting, and uploading images to the Happywhale database—while learning from marine scientists working at the forefront of cetacean research.Â
From capturing images on the water to analyzing matches on the global platform, you’ll help build a clearer picture of regional whale connectivity and contribute to a growing movement of ocean stewardship.Â
For details about participating, email us at info@bcssmz.org.Â
Support, Collaborate, InspireÂ
There are many ways to support our work:Â
- Name a whale and be part of its journeyÂ
- Sponsor local student research or field equipmentÂ
- Collaborate with BCSS or share your own fluke photosÂ
Each whale has a story. Together, with your help, we can tell it.Â
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For questions about this article, please contact:Â
Ekaterina Kalashnikova, Bazaruto Archipelago – Ocean Observatory Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies ekaterina.kalashnikova@bcssmz.org Â
To get in touch and collaborate with our research Center , please visit https://bcssmz.org/logistical-support-consultancy/Â Â
To learn more about our Scientific Training Program, please see https://bcssmz.org/scientific-training-program/Â Â
