We aim to analyze the socioeconomic impact of the whale-watching industry in one of the poorest areas in Ecuador. Puerto López, in Manabí, went from being a fishing village to leading the whale-watching industry in Ecuador. Thanks to the tourist attraction of humpback whales, the number of tourists in the area has increased by 15,000% since 1980, concentrated mainly around the whale season months of June to September. As a result, tourism services and employment opportunities also increased, bringing development and a better lifestyle to the region. The industry has become so important to the region that its value was estimated at USD 4.5 million in 2019. However, we consider this to be a conservative estimate and suggest that the real value may be even greater. Whale-watching benefits are not only economic: whales have brought a sense of identity to the region, which has worked to promote whale conservation laws at the national level. In recent years, the emergence of illegal whale-watching tour operators has become a threat to the industry, the region's economy, and the protection of the species, necessitating immediate action by the authorities.

The Eastern South Pacific Right Whale (SRW) (Eubalaena australis) population has gained interest due to its Critically Endangered conservation status. So far, this population has been confirmed only along the coasts of Chile (18°20’S to 56°30’S) and from southern to central Peru (17°38’S to 12°11’S). Recent records have extended the species’ known range, highlighting its geographic distribution, now reaching 1500 km north. Here, we report six recent records, consisting of five sightings and one stranding, that expand the documented range to northern Ecuador (0.6°N). The northern extension of the population may be associated with the unusual three-year-long cold phase (La Niña) of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the eastern South Pacific, population expansion, movement and re-distribution of the species, increased monitoring effort, or a combination of these factors. These observations raise hope for the Critically Endangered SRW population, as the occurrence of mother-calf pairs may indicate a potential for population recovery. Nevertheless, these findings intensify concerns for what is still the least abundant SRW population, underscoring the urgency for more targeted research and conservation measures.

We report the first confirmed occurrence of a rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) in mainland waters of Ecuador. The species is widely distributed in the Eastern Pacific but is rare south of the equator and even around the Galápagos Islands, where only a handful of records exist. A group of approximately 30 dolphins was observed about 12 km west of the Bajo Copé (01°46’ S, 81°10’ W), in waters over 500 m deep with a pronounced slope. The species was identified based on external coloration including a narrow black cape along the dorsal area, the head shape, a long whitish snout, and a tall dorsal fin. We recommend increasing pelagic monitoring off the Ecuadorian coast during different seasons to improve our knowledge of the cetacean fauna.

Understanding the genetic consequences of migratory behavior and drastic population contractions is essential for the conservation of baleen whales. Here, we investigated population structure and demographic history of eastern South Pacific humpback whales using whole genomes across two feeding and one breeding ground. Nuclear genomic analyses revealed no clear population structure between feeding grounds, suggesting high gene flow and panmixia, despite divergent migratory destinations. However, mitogenomic data showed strong clustering of the different feeding grounds, likely reflecting strong female-driven transgenerational tradition in seasonal migration. Demographic reconstructions identified a population expansion after the Last Glacial Maximum and a pronounced recent population decline consistent with industrial unsustainable whaling in the early 20th century. Despite this bottleneck, current genome-wide diversity remains substantial, possibly reflecting the buffering effect of humpback’s long generation time. Nevertheless, the full genetic consequences of this demographic contraction may not yet be apparent and could become evident in subsequent generations.

Movements between humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breeding stocks are exceedingly rare, and exchange between distant breeding grounds in both directions has not previously been documented between eastern Australia and Brazil. Using 19 283 curated photo-identification images from eastern Australia (breeding stock E1 (BSE1)) and Brazil (breeding stock A (BSA)) collected between 1984 and 2025, we identified two individuals photographed in both areas, representing the first recorded exchange in both directions between BSE1 and BSA. The breeding grounds are separated by minimum great-circle distances of 14 200 km and 15 100 km, respectively, distances that reflect the separation between sighting locations rather than actual distances travelled, as photo-identification records only the endpoints of each individual’s travel. Resighting intervals of 6 and 22 years suggest that these are rare, possibly single-lifetime events rather than regular migratory shifts. These findings extend the known spatial limits of inter-basin connectivity for Southern Hemisphere humpback whales and support the ‘Southern Ocean Exchange’ hypothesis, whereby population recovery and environmental variability may create opportunities for exceptional exchange between ocean basins. Although such events occurred in only 0.01% of identified whales, continued global collaboration through photo-identification platforms will be essential for detecting and quantifying these rare exchanges.