Research

From the beginning, Pacífico Adventures has used the whale watching trips as a research platform in order to register ecological data of the humpback whales and other species of cetaceans that are sighted in the area. This modality has allowed us to develop the following research aspects:

  1. Spatial-temporal variability in the use of habitat and behavioral aspects of the humpback whale during the breeding season.
  2. Connectivity of the humpback whale within the breeding zone and its feeding zones by comparing photographed individuals.
  3. Local residence rates of mother-breeding pairs.
  4. Behavior, group size and temporal space variation in the habitat use of the long-nosed common dolphin Delphinus capensis.
  5. Diversity of the assemblage of cetaceans sighted in the north coast of Peru.
  6. Implications for the conservation of the whale watching activity.
  7. Acoustics with emphasis on the structure and variability in the song of the humpback whale.

Publicaciones Científicas

1

Winter distribution and group composition of humpback whales

Pacheco, A.S., Silva, S. & Alcorta, B. 2009. Winter distribution and group composition of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off northern Peru. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 7(1-2): 33-38.doi: 10.5597/lajam00131

inves_primera_eng.pdf965.68 KB
1

It is possible to go whale-watching in the coast off Peru?

Pacheco, A.S., Silva, S. & Alcorta, B. 2011. It is possible to go whale-watching in the coast off Peru? A study case with humpback whales. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. 38(3) 189-196. doi:10.3856/vol39-issue1-fulltext 20.

inves_segunda_eng.pdf516.75 KB
1

Comparison of the humpback whale catalogues between Ecuador, Peru and American Samoa

Castro, C., Alcorta, B., Allen, J., Cáceres, C., Forestell, P., Kaufman, G., Mattila, D., Pacheco, A.S., Robbins, J., Santillán, L., Scheidat, M., Silva, S., & A. Tagarino 2011. Comparison of the humpback whale catalogues between Ecuador, Peru and American Samoa evidence of the enlargement of the breeding Stock G to Peru. Paper SC/63/SH19 presented to the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission. Tromsø, Norway, June 2011. (http://iwcoffice.org/_documents/sci_com/SC63docs/SC-63-SH19.pdf)

inves_tercera_eng.pdf129.9 KB
1

Aerial behavior of humpback whales at the southern limit of the southeast pacific breeding area.

acheco, A.S., Silva, S. Alcorta, B. Balducci, N., Guidino, C., Llapapasca, M.A. & F. Sanchez-Salazar. 2013. Aerial behavior of humpback whales at the southern limit of the southeast pacific breeding area. Revista de Biología Marina y Oceanografia. 48(1): 185-191. doi: 10.4067/S0718-19572013000100016.

comportamiento_aereo.pdf222.95 KB
1

Patterns of spatial and temporal distribution of humpback whales at the southern limit of the Southeast Pacific breeding area.

Guidino, C., Llapapasca, M., Silva, S., Alcorta, B. & A.S. Pacheco 2014. Patterns of spatial and temporal distribution of humpback whales at the southern limit of the Southeast Pacific breeding area. PLoS ONE 9(11): e112627. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112627

PLOS ONE.pdf3.05 MB
2

Whale-watching trips in Peru lead to increases in tourist knowledge, pro-conservation intentions and tourist concern for the impacts of whale-watching on humpback whales.

García-Cegarra, A.M., Pacheco, A.S. 2017. Whale-watching trips in Peru lead to increases in tourist knowledge, pro-conservation intentions and tourist concern for the impacts of whale-watching on humpback whales. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 27:1011–1020. doi:10.1002/aqc.2754

Garcia-Cegarra & Pacheco 2017 AqConMarFreshEcos Whale watching Peru.pdf777.12 KB
3

Migratory preferences of humpback whales between feeding and breeding grounds in the eastern South Pacific.

Acevedo, J., Aguayo-Lobo, A., Allen, J., Botero-Acosta, N., Castro, C., Dalla Rosa, L., Denkinger, J., Félix, F., Flórez-González, L., Frank Garita, F., Guzmán, H. M., Haase, B, Kaufman, G., Llano, M., Olavarría, C., Pacheco, A. S., Plana, J., Rasmussen, K., Scheidat, M., Secchi, E. R., Silva, S., & Stevick, P.T. 2017. Migratory preferences of humpback whales between feeding and breeding grounds in the eastern South Pacific. Marine Mammal Science. 33(4): 1035-1052. doi: 10.111/mms.12423

Acevedo et al 2017 Mar Mam Sci humpback connectivity.pdf567.09 KB
4

Movements and timing of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) within the breeding region of the Southeast Pacific.

Valdivia, C. Pacheco, A.S., Félix, F., Haase, B., Rasmussen, K., Santillan, L., Alcorta, B. & S. Silva. 2017. Movements and timing of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) within the breeding region of the Southeast Pacific. Aquatic Mammals 43(3): 324-330 doi: 10.1578/AM.43.3.2017.324

Valdivia et al. 2017 Aq Mammals humpback connectivity.pdf578.47 KB
6

Whale-watching effects on the behaviour of humpback whales in a breeding area: contrasting null-hypothesis statistical testing vs. non-null-hypothesis methods. Enviado a Journal of Wildlife Management

8

Northernmost record of dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) in coastal waters off Peru (4°S).

7

Bryde’s whale Balaenoptera edeni occurrence and movements in coastal areas off Ecuador, Peru and Panama.

Bryde’s whale Balaenoptera edeni occurrence and movements in coastal areas off Ecuador, Peru and Panama. A preliminary report. Presented to the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission.

Research - conferences

Contributions at national and international conferences

  1. Pacheco, A.S. 2017 Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in northern Peru: science, ecotourism and environmental education. 2nd Marine Mammal Research Symposium in Chile. December 1 and 2, La Serena, Chile. Guest talk
  2. Pacheco, A.S. et al. 2016. Diversity of cetaceans in the north of Peru: records from marine tourism observation boats. XI Congress and 17 Working Meeting of the Latin American Society of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals 28 November to 1 December, Valparaiso, Chile. Poster
  3. Pacheco, A.S .; Silva, S. 2016 The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in northern Peru: science, ecotourism and environmental education. XI Congress and 17 Working Meeting of the Latin American Society of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals 28 November to 1 December, Valparaiso, Chile. Chat
  4. Carnero-Huamán, R .; Pacheco, A.S .; Silva, S .; Alcorta, B. Spatial distribution, group size and behavioral aspects of the long-nosed common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) versus Los Órganos (ca. 4 ° S) north of Peru. XI Congress and 17 Working Meeting of the Latin American Society of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals 28 November to 1 December, Valparaiso, Chile. Poster
  5. García-Cegarra, A; Pacheco, A.S. The observation of cetaceans in Peru increases the knowledge, the intention in favor of conservation and the concern for the impacts of the activity on humpback whales. XI Congress and 17 Working Meeting of the Latin American Society of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals 28 November to 1 December, Valparaiso, Chile. Chat
  6. Pacheco, A.S. et al. 2016. Diversity of cetaceans in the north of Peru: records from marine tourism observation boats. V Congress of Marine Sciences of Peru. November 21-25, Lambayeque, Peru. Poster
  7. Pacheco, A.S .; Silva, S. 2016 The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in northern Peru: science, ecotourism and environmental education. V Congress of Marine Sciences of Peru. November 21-25, Lambayeque, Peru. Chat
  8. Carnero-Huamán, R .; Pacheco, A.S .; Silva, S .; Alcorta, B. Spatial distribution, group size and behavioral aspects of the long-nosed common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) versus Los Órganos (ca. 4 ° S) north of Peru. V Congress of Marine Sciences of Peru. November 21-25, Lambayeque, Peru. Poster
  9. García-Cegarra, A; Pacheco, A.S. The observation of cetaceans in Peru increases the knowledge, the intention in favor of conservation and the concern for the impacts of the activity on humpback whales. V Congress of Marine Sciences of Peru. November 21-25, Lambayeque, Peru. Chat
  10. Garcia-Cegarra, A., Pacheco A.S. 2015. Education and attitudes towards marine conservation using whale-watching platforms in Peru. 21st Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. December 13-18, San Francisco, USA. Poster
  11. Pacheco A.S., Guidino, C., Llapapasca, M.A., Silva, S., Alcorta, B. 2013. Pattern of spatial and temporal distribution of humpback whales at the southern limit of the Southeast Pacific breeding area. XV Latin American Congress of Marine Sciences, October 27-31. Punta del Este, Uruguay. Chat
  12. Llapapasca M., Pacheco A.S., Silva S., Alcorta B. 2013. Spatial-temporal distribution pattern of Megaptera novaeangliae in the north coast of Peru. XXXIII Congress of Marine Sciences, May 27-30, Antofagasta, Chile. Poster
  13. Guidino Bruce C., Pacheco A.S., Silva S., Alcorta B. 2013. Influence of sea surface temperature on the spatio-temporal distribution of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the northern coast of Peru. XXXIII Congress of Marine Sciences, May 27-30, Antofagasta, Chile. Poster
  14. Pacheco A. S., Silva J., Alcorta, B. 2010. Winter distribution and composition of the humpback whale group Megaptera novaeangliae, on the north coast of Peru. III Colombian Congress of Zoology, November 21-26, Medellin, Colombia. Chat
  15. Pacheco A. S., Silva J., Alcorta, B. 2010. Winter distribution and behavioral aspects of the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, on the north coast of Peru. 2nd Congress of Marine Sciences of Peru, May 24-38, Piura, Peru. Chat