Researchers conducting a nine-month expedition do not find any blue whales around the Galápagos, according to reports. A separate account says blue whale sightings near the islands have dropped sharply.
Both outlets connect the decline to El Niño conditions, suggesting the warming or changes in ocean patterns associated with El Niño may be disrupting where blue whales feed or travel. The coverage differs mainly in emphasis: one focuses on the absence of sightings during a specific long expedition, while the other highlights the broader pattern of dramatically fewer reports and frames El Niño as a leading explanation.
Across sources, the central shared point is that blue whales appear to have gone missing from the Galápagos area and that scientists are looking to El Niño-related ocean changes as a potential cause, with the reports relying on observed reductions in sightings rather than detailing new tracking or direct evidence of whale movement.
