Original post dated 13 April 2019; updated Oct 2021. Last sighting added 20 Feb 2021. Contact: paulcarter @ pacapix.com
In April 2019 I posted a mammal-watching report on searching from land for Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera brydei) in False Bay; from along the 20 km long stretch of the R44 coastal road between Gordon’s Bay and Rooiels. That report was based on 2 sightings in Feb 2019. This update (Jan 2021) is is based on over 15 sightings from the R44. The section on the taxonomy of Bryde’s Whale in Southern Africa (Balaenoptera edeni vs Balaenoptera brydei) is also revised.
Appendix 1 is a summary of my records.
Appendix 2 is an account of the dead Bryde’s Whales found annually; at least in part related to the long-line octopus fishing industry. In Nov 2019 The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries lifted the suspension of exploratory octopus fishing in False Bay and stated that “Should there be at least one mortality of any of these whales, the fishery will be terminated”. The most recent record of dead Bryde’s Whale in False Bay is that in Sep 2020 at Pringle Bay; the reported cause of death was from entanglement.
Bryde’s Whales between Gordon’s Bay and Rooi-Els
The 20 km long section of Road R44 between Gordon’s Bay and Rooi-Els (Rooi Els / Rooiels) is an ideal site to for a shore-based search for Bryde’s Whales (pronounced Broo-dus). The bay here, between Steenbras River and Rooi-Els, is known as Kogel Bay. Gordon’s Bay is a 45 km drive east of Cape Town Airport (South Africa).
This road section hugs the shoreline but is sometimes up to 100 meters above sea level, providing excellent sea views and numerous scanning opportunities from the approximately 40 parking bays. This road is part of the whale-watching route known for Humpback and Southern Right Whales; the Bryde’s Whale is more elusive and generally overlooked, even though dead Bryde’s Whales are occasionally found floating in the bay or washed up on a beach.
The parking bays are not numbered but every bay has at least one waste bin and each bin is numbered (a few bin numbers are missing); I use the 54 bin numbers as site references for my records. The better viewing areas to scan for Bryde’s Whales are probably the Bin 14-20 area (off Steenbras River mouth) and the Bin 44-49 area (Blousteen near Rooiels). The R44 road is named Faure Marine Drive at the Gordon’s Bay end but becomes Clarence Drive shortly after Steenbras River.
I have looked for these whales only in the summer months from November to March and found in this period that the chance of seeing the whales is quite high (assuming calmer seas without white caps). For example, in Feb 2019 I saw them on 2 out of 3 drives and in Feb 2020 I saw them on 5 out of 6 drives. These drives were from 1 to 3 hours; half of them were only along the first 10 km from Gordon’s Bay.
The whales seen were usually from 200 to 500 m offshore. Views were often brief and only of dorsal fin but I have also tracked 1 to 4 whales over an hour with better views. My list of records (Appendix 1) gives an idea of sightings to be expected. Don’t expect fantastic lunge-feeding displays like those of Eden’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) in Thailand.
The population of the inshore form of B. brydei is estimated at only a few hundred animals (Penry et al, 2018) and there is thought to be little seasonal migration of this inshore form (Purdon et al, 2020; Best, 2001), unlike that of the offshore form. Penry (2010) in her studies found that the encounter rate was higher during summer and autumn, with a peak in April. Indigo Scuba (in Gordon’s Bay) in an online post stated that they often see Bryde’s Whales on their way out to dive sites such as Steenbras Deep, Drop Zone and Blousteen and that they seem to be present all year but that the best time to see them is from March to November, peaking between March and June.
Dead Bryde’s Whales are also reported in False Bay; with at least one dead each year from 2017 to 2020 (as detailed in Appendix 2; with comments on the long-line octopus fishing industry and the entanglement of Humpbacks and Bryde’s Whales in fishing gear).
Other viewing sites in or near the Western Cape
Gansbaai and Plettenberg Bay, both have resident inshore groups and short whale/dolphin-watching trips are available. Bryde’s Whale was not seen on the Gansbaai trip I took in 2018 and my trips booked from Plettenberg Bay in 2018 and 2019 were both cancelled on the day due to wind and sea conditions. I have also seen Bryde’s Whale about 500 meters offshore at Storm’s River Mouth in the Eastern Cape (4 March 2019, with Clide Carter). They are also reported off Mossel Bay and nearby Dana Bay.
Taxonomy of Bryde’s Whale in Southern Africa
Penry et al (2018) state that “there is confusion about the number of species, subspecies and populations of Bryde’s whale found globally” and that “it is generally accepted that at least two species exist (B. edeni Anderson, 1878, and B. brydei Olsen, 1913), however a type specimen for B. brydei was never defined and the genetic identity of the B. edeni holotype (Anderson 1878) has not been verified”. The IUCN Red List (Cooke & Brownell, 2018) treats Balaenoptera edeni (as found in the Gulf of Thailand) and Balaenoptera brydei as a single species B. edeni; as do The Committee on Taxonomy of the Society of Marine Mammalogy in their 2020 May update.
Penry et al (2018), however, stated that “Phylogenetic analyses grouped the South African populations within the Bryde’s-sei whale clade and excluded B. edeni” and that “data, combined with morphological and ecological evidence from previous studies, support subspecific classification of both South African forms under B. brydei and complete separation from B. edeni”. Penry et al (2018) have not yet made complete taxonomic revision recommendations (waiting until additional global data is available) and the use of the name B. brydei has not yet been formally recognized; however, Penry et al (2018) do use it to refer to the larger, offshore or pelagic form of Bryde’s Whales in several different geographic regions.
Taxonomic Summary (as at 2021 Oct): It appears that Bryde’s Whale in Southern Africa (and elsewhere) is a species not yet formally described and that it comprises an inshore subspecies and an offshore subspecies; and that this species is genetically closer to the Sei Whale than it is to Eden’s Whale. The IUCN Red List (Cooke and Brownell, 2018) and The Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (Burgin et al, 2020) do not treat Balaenoptera brydei as a species separate to B. edeni whereas The Mammal Diversity Database (2021) do.
References
Best PB (2001). Distribution and population separation of Bryde’ s whale Balaenoptera edeni off southern Africa. Marine Ecology Progress Series 220:277-289. DOI 10.3354/meps220277
Burgin CJ, Wilson DE, Mittermeier RA, Rylands AB, Lacher TE, Sechrest W (Eds), (2020). Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World. Lynx Editions
Constantine R, Iwata T, Nieukirk SL and Penry GS (2018). Future Directions in Research on Bryde’s Whales. Front. Mar. Sci. 5:333. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00333.
Cooke JG, Brownell RL (2018). Balaenoptera edeni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T2476A50349178. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T2476A50349178.en. Assessment 2018 June 25. Downloaded 20 Feb 2019.
Cooke JG (2018). Balaenoptera borealis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T2475A130482064. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T2475A130482064.en. Assessment 2018 June 25. Downloaded 20 Feb 2019.
Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa (2019 Nov 8). Media Release: Minister Barbara Creecy lifts temporary suspension of exploratory octopus fishing in False Bay. https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/creecy_liftsbanonoctopusfishing
Dordley L (2018 Oct 23). Bryde’s Whale found dead near Simon’s Town. CapeTownEtc: www.capetownetc.com/news/brydes-whale-found-dead-near-simons-town/
Fisher (2018 Oct). Officials Recover Bryde’s Whale Carcass In Simon’s Town. EWN. ewn.co.za/2018/10/23/officials-recover-bryde-s-whale-carcass-in-simon-s-town
Indigo Scuba (website). 20 Fascinating Facts about Bryde’s Whales. http://www.indigoscuba.com/20-fascinating-facts-about-brydes-whales/. Viewed 2019 Feb 20; no longer online (Dec 2020).
Jorgensen (2019 June 15). Dead Whale Highlights Major Faults with Octopus Fishing Industry in False Bay. The Incidental Tourist. https://theincidentaltourist.com/dead-whale-in-false-bay/
Kershaw F, Leslie MS, Collins T, Mansur RM, Smith BD, Minton G, Baldwin R, LeDuc R, Anderson C, Brownell RJ Jr, Rosenbaum HC (2013). Population differentiation of 2 forms of Bryde’s whales in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Journal of Heredity 104(6):755–764.
Mammal Diversity Database (2021 Sep). Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.6) [Data set]. Zenodo.
Netwerk24 (2020 Sep 9). Netwerk24. www.netwerk24.com/ZA/Hermanus-Times/Nuus/brydes-whale-washed-up-on-pringle-bay-beach-20200908-2
Penry GS (2010). The biology of South African Bryde’s whales. PhD thesis. School of Biology, University of St. Andrews. https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/921
Penry GS, Hammond PS, Cockcroft VG, Best PB, Thornton M, Graves JAG (2018). Phylogenetic relationships in southern African Bryde’s whales inferred from mitochondrial DNA: further support for subspecies delineation between the two allopatric populations. Conservation Genetics. doi: 10.1007/s10592-018-1105-4
Purdon J, Shabangu FW, Yemane D, Pienaar M, Somers MJ, Findlay K (2020). Species distribution modelling of Bryde’s whales, humpback whales, southern right whales, and sperm whales in the southern African region to inform their conservation in expanding economies. Publ: 2020 Sep 22. PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.9997
SA Venues (website) https://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/wildlife_brydes_whale.php
Thiyagarajan S (2019 June 17). Octopus fishing in False Bay is killing Bryde’s whales, and with them, a magical and unseen kingdom. www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-06-17-octopus-fishing-in-false-bay-is-killing-brydes-whales-and-with-them-a-magical-and-unseen-kingdom/
Valentine V (2017 Mar 23). Dead whale found on Cape Flats beach. IOL website. www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/dead-whale-found-on-cape-flats-beach-8305125.
APPENDIX 1: My False Bay records from 2019 to 2021
1) 16 Feb 2019 – 8.00 am @ Bin 14; 400 m offshore: 1 whale. Whilst scanning for cetaceans, I saw a Bryde’s Whale for about one minute.
2) 19 Feb 2019 – 1.30 to 2.15 pm @ Bins 53 to 47; 400 m offshore: 1 or 2 whales. About 1 km north of Rooiels (on a drive with Loretta Carter) we saw a whale surface about 400 to 500 meters offshore. We tracked this whale over the next 45 minutes, with about 6 brief views over that period; generally at about the same distance from shore. From the first sighting north of Rooiels it moved northwards 3 km before turning back towards Rooiels. There may have been two whales, based on distance and time between two of the sightings, but I never saw two at once. Photo posted at www.inaturalist.org/observations/67702363.
3) 6 Feb 2020 – 9.45 am @ Bin 16; 50 m offshore: 1 whale. Seen whilst driving, about 200m before Pitstop Restaurant. Clear view of back and fin. Could not stop; no photo. Unusually close to shore.
4) 6 Feb 2020 – 10.20 am @ Bin 26: 1 whale. Brief views. No photo. Not the same whale as that at 9.45 am.
5) 7 Feb 2020 – 10.45 am @ Bin 12-14; 400 m offshore: 1 whale. Whilst scanning from the road up to Steenbras Dam gate I saw one whale at 10.45; the whale about 400 meters offshore from Bin 12; the same whale then seen from Bin 14.
6) 9 Feb 2020 – 9.00 am @ Bin 16: 1 whale. A brief distant sighting.
7) 10 Feb 2020 – 6.20 pm to 7.15 pm @ Bins 14-18; 200 m offshore: 2-4 whales. On an evening drive with Chi Phan we tracked 2-4 whales for an hour (1820 to 1915); between Bins 14 and 18. We saw one whale at Bin 16 (just before Pitstop); the whale moving southeast. We then drove past Pitstop to Bin 18 and watched two whales for about 20 minutes moving slowly back and forth around 200 meters offshore. We then returned to Bin 14 and Bin 16 where judging by blows it seemed that there were at least 2 whales present. We only saw up to two whales at any one point but there were possibly 4 whales in the area, judging by distance and apparent slow speed as spouts were often from same point for more than one whale. These 2-4 whales seemed focused on the area between bins 14 and 18 (either side and in front of Pitstop), from 100 to 400 m offshore. Photos showed the three forehead ridges. Posted at www.inaturalist.org/observations/67703213.
8) 27 Feb 2020 – 11.45 am to 12.00 pm @ Bin 45; 300 to 400 m offshore: 1 whale. Seen on a two-hour drive between Gordon’s Bay and Rooi-Els (with Chi Phan; Amanda and Sophie Brooks). Photos.
9) 11 Nov 2020 – 6.00 pm @ Bin 18; 400 m offshore: 2 whales. Two whales about 1 km apart. No photos.
10) 13 Nov 2020 – 6.00 pm to 6.30 pm @ Bin 18: 1 whale. Brief views of one whale moving between 300 and 500 m offshore, over a half hour.
11) 13 Nov 2020 – 6.40 pm @ Bin 14: 1 whale. A different whale to that at Bin 18.
12) 15 Nov 2020 – 9.30 am @ Bin 49; 250 m offshore: 1 whale. No photo.
13) 24 Dec 2020 – 10.30 am @ Bin 49; 600 m offshore: 1 whale. Surfaced briefly a few times. No photos.
14) 5 Jan 2021 – 10.15 am @ Bin 19 area; 500 m offshore: 1 whale. Calm seas but difficult to relocate (long dives?). No photos.
15) 10 Jan 2021 – 8.40 am @ Bin 19: 200 m offshore: 1 whale seen surfacing three times over a 30 minute interval. No photos.
16) 14 Feb 2021 – 9.30 am @ Bin 19: 200m offshore: 1 whale seen surfacing three times over a 15 minute interval; moving parallel to shore. No photos. Similar record to 10 Jan 2021.
17) 20 Feb 2021 – 8.25 am ” Bin 18: about 1 km offshore: seen surfacing 3 times with blows over about 3-4 minutes. One seen, with blow, one hour later (9.20 am) about 600 m offshore from Bin 19. Not sure if these are the same whale. No photos.
APPENDIX 2: Dead Bryde’s Whales in False Bay
Online media reports indicate that in the four years from 2017 to 2020 there has been at least one Bryde’s Whale per year washed up or found floating dead in False Bay (four records listed below). The whale in June 2019 was found dead entangled in octopus trap ropes; the cause/s of death for others are not always reported.
In mid-2019 a petition was raised about whales becoming entangled in octopus fishing gear; octopus fishing was temporarily suspended by the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister (Fishing Industry News SA, 2020 Dec 9). The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (2019 Nov 8), after implementing mitigation measures, lifted the suspension of exploratory octopus fishing in False Bay, and stated that “Should there be at least one mortality of any of these whales, the fishery will be terminated”.
Media records (2017-2020) of dead Bryde’s Whales in False Bay:
1) March 2017 at Sonwabi Beach: A 13-metre long Bryde’s Whale carcass was found floating in the water at Sonwabi beach in the Cape Flats. Cause of Death: Unknown at time of reporting. Online report by: Valentine V (2017 Mar 23).
2) Oct 2018 at Glencairn: An 8-meter long Bryde’s Whale found dead near Glencairn in Simon’s Town. Cause of Death: Unknown at time of reporting. Online report both Fisher (2018 Oct) and Dordley L (2018 Oct 23).
3) June 2019 at Miller’s Point: A 10-meter long male Bryde’s Whale was found dead entangled in octopus trap ropes. Reported online by Jorgensen (2019 June 15) and Thiyagarajan S (2019 June 17).
Timeline insert – 2019 Nov 8: The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries lifted the suspension of exploratory octopus fishing in False Bay, and stated that “Should there be at least one mortality of any of these whales, the fishery will be terminated”.
4) Sep 2020 at Pringle’s Bay: A 14-meter long whale found dead in Pringle’s Bay (near Rooiels). Cause of Death: reported as entanglement. Online report by Netwerk24 (2020 Sep 9).
Thanks to Charles Hood for an earlier proof-read.