Humpback Whales and Dolphins Gather Along Brazil’s Coast

Overview

• Researchers and local observers reported a wave of sightings across Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with Wednesday accounts confirming the first humpback of the season in Salvador’s Baía de Todos‑os‑Santos and a rare aggregation of more than 40 humpbacks near Ilhabela.
• A photographer recorded about 30 bottlenose dolphins at sunset off Arraial do Cabo, and specialists link such nearshore dolphin groups to dense schools of sardines and manjubas that attract them for feeding.
• The Ilhabela encounter was documented during photo‑identification work that used unique tail patterns to recognize individuals, including a whale nicknamed 'Jojo' that has returned to the region for three consecutive years.
• Long‑term monitoring shows the humpback population using Brazil’s coast has recovered dramatically since the 1980s, with estimates rising from roughly 500–800 animals then to more than 30,000 now passing the coastline to mate and calve.
• Projeto Baleia Jubarte and observers emphasize keeping at least 100 meters from whales and relying on trained tour operators, warning that rising public sightings could boost tourism but also increase the risk of vessel disturbance and stress to the animals.