Réunion's Record Whale Season, Read Tail by Tail

Globice (Groupe Local d'Observation et d'Identification des Cétacés) was founded in 2001 to study and protect whales and dolphins around Réunion and the southwest Indian Ocean. Its 2023 activity report counted 1,156 different humpbacks photo-identified by their tail flukes, a historic high, for a cumulative catalogue of about 3,200 individuals; 46% were identified only through the citizen-science programme Kodal, which collects photos from the public. In 2023 Globice organized 191 sea outings to collect cetacean data, 352 people joined the association, and it responded to 5 marine mammal strandings as coordinator of Réunion's stranding network. It also works on dolphin conservation, whale-watching regulation and school education, and in September 2026 launched a live 'Saison Baleines' dashboard.