An outbreak of avian flu in 2023 hammered a colony of southern elephant seals in Chile’s Tierra del Fuego region, leading to a 50% decline in its population.
But over the 2024-2025 breeding season, the colony’s population recovered, with 33 pups being born.
An alliance between the Chilean branch of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the regional environmental department has been monitoring this particular colony for years, braving the remoteness and extreme weather at the southern tip of the Americas.
Experts posit that the site, Jackson Bay, may serve as a natural refuge from the avian flu because it’s geographically isolated as a fjord.
Year after year, a colony of elephant seals arrives in Jackson Bay, on the islands of Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Chile, to molt and breed. However, in 2023, an outbreak of avian flu devastated the region, and the colony’s population dropped by half.
In 2020, when avian flu caused devastating losses in seabird colonies in Europe and Southern Africa, experts initially thought the virus’s spread to mammals would be limited to terrestrial carnivores. However, during the outbreak in 2021 and 2022, the virus affected seals and whales in both Europe and North America. In 2023, when the virus arrived on the South American coast, the pathogen showed that it was capable of causing large-scale mortality among marine mammals. The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) was one of the most heavily impacted species.
But good news arrived in April 2025, when researchers found that the elephant seal population in Jackson Bay had doubled to 200 individuals, including 33 pups.
“It is great news for the conservation of the species, because Jackson [Bay], by being in inland waters of fjords and canals, may act as a protective barrier against pandemics,” says Cristóbal Arredondo, a veterinarian and terrestrial program coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Chile,. Since 2008, WCS Chile has monitored this colony alongside the environmental department of the Magallanes region, which encompasses Tierra del Fuego.
Elephant seals in Jackson Bay. Image courtesy of Francisco Brañas.
A refuge from the virus
Jackson Bay is home to “the largest elephant seal colony in Chile,” according to Javiera Constanzo, a veterinarian and the One Health approach manager for WCS Chile. The bay is located between two protected areas: the Multiple Use Marine and Coastal Protected Area Seno Almirantazgo, or Admiralty Sound, which is administered by the Ministry of the Environment, and Karukinka Natural Park, which is a private conservation initiative administered by WCS Chile.
Karukinka Natural Park is a vast natural refuge that spans approximately 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres) of diverse ecosystems. Admiralty Sound, which surrounds the coasts of Karukinka, receives freshwater from several glaciers in the Cordillera Darwin, an ice-capped mountain range. Since Admiralty Sound is a large fjord — a deep, narrow valley with glacial origins that has been filled with seawater — it’s mix of freshwater and saltwater makes it highly productive. And as a government-protected area, Admiralty Sound is vital for the elephant seal population, Constanzo says, by prohibiting activities that could affect the species.
Above all, Jackson Bay’s isolation might make it a refuge for the colony of elephant seals. This hypothesis is still being studied, but “what is being observed is very positive for the conservation of the species,” Constanzo says.
During the most recent season, 33 pups were born. Image courtesy of WCS.
Successful monitoring after 2023 avian flu
Data from satellite transmitters show that some of the Jackson Bay elephant seals stay put while others migrate from different places, coming from the Pacific Ocean or traveling in the Atlantic until they reach the Valdés Peninsula in the central Argentine Patagonia.
In 2023, during the highly pathogenic avian flu outbreak, there was a mass die-off of elephant seals in Argentina: according to a study published in Nature Communications, approximately 17,000 of the animals died.
At Jackson Bay, researchers recorded only about 100 individuals in the colony that year, less than half of the number recorded in prior years.
“We eagerly hoped that in the following season, the colony’s numbers would recover,” Arredondo says. And they did. The 2024-2025 season resolved any doubt: 200 elephant seals were seen in Jackson Bay in December, which is the month when the colony’s population normally peaks. Researchers also recorded the births of more than 30 elephant seal pups, the same number as recorded in 2023.
Researchers from WCS Chile and the Magallanes regional department of the environment in Jackson Bay. Image courtesy of Francisco Brañas.
The colony in Jackson Bay has “now recovered its numbers after the avian flu,” Constanzo says.
Experts attribute the rapid reestablishment of the elephant seal colony in Jackson Bay to several factors. For one, its location in the inland waters of fjords and canals, far from other affected colonies, may have served as a natural barrier against avian flu, reducing the risk of contagion.
The researchers suggest that elephant seals that contracted the highly pathogenic avian flu virus may not have managed to return to Jackson Bay, likely dying before reaching their destination.
About 200 elephant seals were seen in Jackson Bay in December 2024. Image courtesy of WCS.
Monitoring in an extreme area
Wind speeds in Jackson Bay can hit up to 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), presenting significant challenges for researchers as they disembark. However, this didn’t stop marine biologist Marina Maritza Sepúlveda from traveling to Jackson Bay in 2023 with a team of Chilean and British scientists. They fitted satellite transmitters on several elephant seals arriving in Jackson Bay, part of an ongoing project that WCS Chile is supporting.
Sepúlveda says the transmitters help scientists track the colony as it travels along the Cape Horn Current, one of the “least-studied and [least-]known currents in Chile,” and one that is “extremely important to understand.”
WCS Chile has also joined the team to monitor the colony of elephant seals. Given the high logistical cost of reaching the area, every opportunity to collect data is taken advantage of.
“The opportunity to have the animals there lets us maximize the chance to gather valuable scientific data,” Sepúlveda says. For example, veterinarians like Arredondo and Constanzo collect nasal and anal swabs to study the elephant seals’ microbiome, including their bacteria and virus loads.
Jackson Bay is located in an area where wind speeds can hit up to 120 km/h. Image courtesy of WCS.
The researchers also gather data by using an ultrasound to measure the elephant seals’ fat layers, which allows for an assessment of their body condition. They extract whiskers and fur samples to analyze the seals’ trophic ecology and check for the presence of heavy metals, and they collect droppings to test for parasites.
During the most recent season, researchers also collected samples to confirm the presence of avian flu in the colony. Those samples are now being processed.
“Teamwork allows us to optimize resources, share knowledge and ensure the collection of valuable data that contribute to the understanding and conservation of this colony of elephant seals,” Arredondo says.
Researchers have been monitoring the elephant seal colony in Jackson Bay as a long-term project for more than 16 years.
Every year between October and April, a small team hikes across the entire beach and coastal area. During these inspections, the researchers categorize the elephant seals by age and sex, which helps them understand the population composition of the colony. However, depending on a seal’s position on the ground, some individuals can’t be identified; in those cases, scientists put them into the “sex not determined” category, Constanzo says.
Every year between October and April, a small team of researchers travels across the entire beach and coastal area to gather information about elephant seals. Image courtesy of WCS.
Elephant seals spend most of their lives in the water and only travel onto land to breed and molt, in a process that takes about one month. During this time, they don’t enter the water for food. This means that any change that increases their energy consumption is a problem, according to Arredondo. That’s why the researchers ensure they maintain a safe distance from the seals that “does not disrupt” their behavior.
In addition to counting elephant seals in person, they also used drones to map the area. These help researchers collect detailed images of the locations of the elephant seals.
Francisco Brañas, an expert with the protected areas unit of the regional environmental department, says processing these images can allow researchers to obtain additional information, such as individual measurements. Researchers can estimate the elephant seals’ body weight and evaluate their physical condition to determine whether they have sufficient food, according to Brañas.
“The images captured by the drones provide us with a more complete and precise view of the colony,” he says.
Regular monitoring has been key to evaluating the recovery of the colony, which was first described in 2006. That year, 46 individuals were recorded. Since then, the numbers have grown overall.
The striking increase in the elephant seal population in Jackson Bay is not only a testament to the species’ resilience, but it also reflects the collaborative efforts that are crucial to carrying out this monitoring work in a remote and extreme-weather area.
Elephant seals spend most of their lives in the water and only travel onto land to breed and molt. Image courtesy of Pablo Lloncón.
Banner image of an elephant seal in Jackson Bay, courtesy of Francisco Brañas.
This story was first published here in Spanish on May 1, 2025.
A deep-sea expedition off the Chilean coasts has recently brought exceptional discoveries that shake what we already know about marine biodiversity. Scientist of the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) have charted vast areas of the ocean and documented more than a hundred new species along with the discovery of four hitherto unknown submarine mountains. These results open up new horizons regarding sea life and stress how important it is to protect these invaluable ecosystems.
52 thousand square kilometers were explored
Revolutionary discoveries off the Chilean coasts have been permitted thanks to an exploration mission carried out by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Between the 8th and the 11th of February, scientists operated the research ship called Falkor in order to chart nearly 52,800 square kilometers of the ocean, with a focus on Nazca and Salas y Gómez submarine ridges together with Juan Fernández and Nazca-Desventuradas marine parks.
A treasure of marine biodiversity
Ultimately, four submarine mountains were discovered thanks to the expedition. The most impressive, named Solito, is 3,530 meters high. Besides, more than a hundred unknown marine species have been identified, among them oblong sea urchins, complex sponges, spiral-shaped corals, and even a bugeyed lobster. Thereafter, the biologists will analyze some samples of these in order to confirm that they were not identified yet as previously known species. These discoveries represent a significant step forward in the understanding of marine depths. “We always expect to find new species in these untraveled remote areas. Yet the amount we discovered is stunning, especially regarding some groups including sponges.” director of the research group Javier Sellanes reported.
Preserving marine ecosystems matters
Submarine mountains play a key role in oceanic ecosystems as hot spots of biodiversity. Having discovered new submarine mounts off Chile highlights the importance of these invaluable marine habitat. As it turns out, these ecosystems are vulnerable to human activities such as trawling and deep-sea mining. The collected data gives a valuable insight into the marine biodiversity and sheds light on the preservation strategies.
A scientific team listens to the white continent’s sea wildlife by immersing microphones in its depths. This is a fascinating journey.
In the depths of the Antarctic Ocean, immersed microphones record sounds of “spaceshifts” and a range of “impressive” buzzing. This is what the Colombian scientist Andrea Bonilla explains, while she monitors sea life during an expedition to the edges of the white continent.
500 meters below surface
This biologist from the New York Cornell University immerses hydrophones 500 meters deep. They are wrapped with titanium and will register these depths’ soundwaves during one whole year.
Once the soundwaves are deciphered, they will help to understand the sea mammals’ behavior and their movements during austral winter, when the Antarctic becomes almost uninhabitable.
“Here, you can find species whose sound is impressive, literally like in Star Wars, they sound like spaceships. Very few ears have the privilege to hear them.” the 32-year-old scientist reports aboard the ARC Simon Bolivar, a Colombian navy’s ship.
Tension and excitement
Andrea Bonilla – who holds a PhD in marine acoustics – and the other scientists aboard the tenth Colombian expedition in the Antarctic also gather the microphones that were left the year before during a mission operated by the Turkish Navy.
Guided by the GPS, the boat is entering the meeting zone. In order to make the hydrophone come back to the surface, Andrea Bonilla is releasing the anchor that keeps it immerged. The whole team is now peering into the quiet waters during eight long minutes until a little flag unfurls at the surface, welcomed by joy.
She’s warmly congratulated by her co-workers and expresses relief. “I’m really excited because it was the first time we did this operation in those waters. Everything turned out great.” the Colombian scientist says delightedly.
Assessing the impact of human activity
Once back onto dry land, she will analyze one year of recording. “In a marine environment, sound is one of the core elements.” she says. It is, because noise or auditory disturbances can affect intraspecies communication or hinder the normal continuity of natural activities such as hunting.
Illustration photo Sipa/Chine Nouvelle
These investigations also intend to assess the impact of human activity and of the pollution to which mammals are exposed in one of the most preserved spots on earth.
“Protected marine area »
Another purpose is to support the proposal, which has been promoted by Chili and Argentina since 2012, to make the Antarctic peninsula “a protected marine area”. Andrea Bonilla works with spectrographs who visually represent the sound frequencies. Medium and high frequencies arise from animals of different sizes.
Her discoveries won’t just be used to monitor the sea mammals, they will help as well geophysical research: the microphones capture low frequencies that are emitted by Earth movements and melting ice.
Penguins and whale
Not far from the ship, a penguin colony is walking on a giant toboggan-shaped ice block while on the surface, the scientists are watching a humpback whale take a last breath before winter makes it leave towards Pacific’s warmer waters.
Illustration photo Sipa/Chine Nouvelle
“My first encounter with a whale happened with a singing whale, and I think it changed my life”, the scientist remembers.
After having eaten for months in the Antarctic peninsula and the Strait of Magellan in Chile, thousands of these large mammals meet between June and October in order to breed, in a sea corridor which stretches from South Costa Rica to North Peru.
Melodious animal songs
But “there are also species which live only here”, she stresses, such as Weddell seals and leopard seals, which make high-pitched songs of various tones and melodious compositions which provide information about their behavior.
Andrea Bonilla is getting ready to drop new hydrophones and is tying on top of the titanium tank a red flag which will be used to detect it in the midst of the waters when she comes back next year. During the expedition, three microphones have been immersed, two in the Strait of Bransfield and one in the Drake Passage.
Source: https://www.leprogres.fr/environnement/2024/02/18/des-micros-dans-les-fonds-de-l-antarctique-pour-comprendre-la-vie-marine#Echobox=1708238993 (translated from French by the Karukinka association)
Supporting Antarctic scientific investigation is the job of the national Antarctic programmes, the government entities charged with delivering their countries’ Antarctic research strategies. This requires sustained investment in people, innovative technologies, Antarctic infrastructures, and vessels with icebreaking capabilities. The recent endorsement of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Polar Code (2015) means that countries must address challenges related to an ageing icebreaking vessel fleet. Many countries have recently invested in and begun, or completed, builds on new icebreaking Polar research vessels. These vessels incorporate innovative technologies to increase fuel efficiency, to reduce noise output, and to address ways to protect the Antarctic environment in their design. This paper is a result of a Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) project on new vessel builds which began in 2018. It considers the recent vessel builds of Australia’s RSV Nuyina, China’s MV Xue Long 2, France’s L’Astrolabe, Norway’s RV Kronprins Haakon, Peru’s BAP Carrasco, and the United Kingdom’s RRS Sir David Attenborough. The paper provides examples of purposeful consideration of science support requirements and environmental sustainability in vessel designs and operations.
Read more : https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/icebreaking-polar-class-research-vessels-new-antarctic-fleet-capabilities/9177AFA1FDFAD8B9E5AE5DC68A5C8F80
Archaeological Research in Patagonia: Tolhuin, in Argentine Tierra del Fuego
On the road leading to Cerro Michi, a team of archaeologists from GIATMA (affiliated with CADIC-CONICET) made a significant discovery: during fieldwork, the archaeologists found materials and a new archaeological site, which they then began to study.
This discovery is part of the ImpaCT.AR project, Challenge 2, “Archaeological Cultural Heritage in Tolhuin,” supported by the municipality and accompanied since the first term of Daniel Harrington. The main objective is the identification and protection of the region’s archaeological cultural heritage.
The research team carried out fieldwork, including surveys and excavations within the urban area of Tolhuin, with the aim of creating an archaeological risk map to zone sensitive areas. This provides municipal authorities with crucial information for the preservation of heritage during infrastructure projects.
The ImpaCT.AR project is not limited to identifying archaeological sites; it also includes training for personnel directly or indirectly involved in changes to the urban landscape. Workers are made aware of the importance of archaeological heritage and the need to be vigilant during activities involving ground movement.
The discovery on the road to Cerro Michi adds to other finds in Tolhuin, such as on the road to the pier, at Laguna Varela, the descent to Lake Fagnano, and in the residential neighborhood of Las Laderas del Kamuk. The central strategy of this collaboration between CADIC-CONICET and the Municipality of Tolhuin is prevention, ensuring that infrastructure works are carried out carefully and with respect for the heritage shared by the community.
What is an archaeological discovery?
According to the Guide for the Formulation of the Protocol for Chance Discoveries of Archaeological Heritage and Public Archaeology, an archaeological discovery is the unexpected encounter with archaeological materials such as vessels or fragments, lithic objects (stones or rocks), animal or human bones, figurines, wooden or metal utensils, or any other ancient element. In this regard, the municipality of Tolhuin was expected to specify the nature of the materials found to provide context for the news; however, the community will have to wait for a forthcoming report to learn more.
Representantes de las comunidades de pueblos originarios de Tierra del Fuego viajan a Francia a exponer sobre sus culturas ancestrales, en el marco del mes de la ciencia y la cultura que se desarrolla en ese país. El 2019 fue declarado por la ONU el Año internacional de las Lenguas Indígenas, con el fin de difundir su importante aporte a la cultura de los pueblos.
La secretaria de Relaciones Internacionales Cecilia Fiocchi destacó la presencia en Francia de los representantes de las comunidades originarias: “Es un orgullo para todos los fueguinos que integrantes de las comunidades originarias puedan participar de eventos internacionales como este, que es impulsados por investigadores de la Universidad de la Sorbona y del Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas, instituciones académicas francesas de gran prestigio”. “Es una oportunidad para visibilizar las culturas ancestrales de nuestra provincia” valoró.
Mirtha Salamanca, integrante de la comunidad selk´nam de Río Grande, Víctor Vargas, integrante del pueblo yagán de Ushuaia y José González Calderón, de la comunidad yagán de Puerto Williams viajan a Francia a exponer sobre las culturas ancestrales originarias de Tierra del Fuego.
Mirtha Salamanca es integrante del Consejo Nacional de Pueblos Indígenas, como representante del pueblo selk´nam. “Viajaremos a Francia invitados por investigadores de ese país, para visibilizar allí nuestra cultura ancestral y complementar una serie de investigaciones que estamos realizando sobre nuestro pueblo. Además de participar como expositores en charlas y conferencia en distintas partes del país, podremos visitar los archivos de Anne Chapman, quien fue una gran investigadora de nuestra cultura y complementar los estudios que nosotros venimos realizando para dar a conocer nuestra cosmovisión. Tenemos la esperanza de que esto promueva el arraigo a nuestra tierra y el derecho a la identidad originaria” expresó.
Por su parte, Víctor Vargas es autor del libro “Mi Sangre Yagán”, editado en 2017 por la Editora Cultura Tierra del Fuego y trabaja en el Museo del Fin del Mundo de Ushuaia, desde donde promueve mediante charlas e investigaciones, la cultura e historia de su pueblo. “Esto se trata de unir el pasado con el presente. Los yaganes son la comunidad humana que habitó de forma permanente la parte más al sur de todo el continente.
En cuanto a José González Calderón, reside en Puerto Williams, Chile y cabe destacar que es sobrino de Cristina Calderón, quien fue declara tesoro humano vivo, ya que es la última hablante nativa viva de su lengua yagán. Este año, ha sido declarado por la ONU el año internacional de las lenguas indígenas.
