All language subtitles for 0CF2B00DFEB98994D2FA2C9AFD0F0DAD_eng

Buchan: I remember as a child
being around these huge animals.

That sense of mystery and might.

I think I can hear it.

It's just amazing that these
animals are filling the ocean

with their sounds
and their song.

They are very simple sounds

but for me
they're super beautiful.

Narrator: It's summer.
Whales are gathering

along Patagonia's Pacific coast.

Home to the fjord lands --
long, deep, flooded valleys

that were carved out by glaciers
over millions of years.

These remote, rich waters
are a magnet for wildlife,

and increasingly for people.

At the ends of the Earth
is a land of extremes...

home to spectacular wildlife.

For centuries,

people and animals
have battled for supremacy.

But now, enemies
are becoming allies.

Together
they face new challenges...

...in a rapidly changing world.

Madríz: You are at the mercy
of the elements.

Narrator: This is the story
of what it takes to survive...

...on the edge of the world.

It's the start of another
all too brief summer.

Patagonia's 600 glaciers
are rapidly melting.

Fresh water cascades
off the mountains.

As it pours into the fjords,
it mixes with saltwater,

stirring up the water column,

and drawing up nutrients
from the depths,

feeding more and more plankton,

which in turn supports
an entire food web.

Patagonia's fjords are now
bursting with life.

Running for 1,000 miles
up the west coast,

this is one of the most
extensive fjord land regions

on Earth.

Fed by dozens of these fjords

is an incredibly rich
feeding ground --

the Corcovado Gulf.

And heading straight for it

is the largest animal
that has ever lived...

A blue whale.

Weighing nearly 200 tons,

he's twice as heavy
as the largest dinosaur.

It's been a long swim
from warm equatorial

waters more than
3,000 miles away.

But it's all worth it...

...for the krill.

During the summer, billions of
these tiny crustaceans

swarm these waters
to feast on the plankton.

For the next few months,
he'll gorge himself on around

four tons a day
before returning north.

While whales are here
for the krill,

oceanographer Susannah Buchan
is here for the whales.

With 700 migrating to
the Corcovado Gulf every summer,

there's nowhere else
she'd rather be.

As a child I developed
this kind of obsession,

this passion for these
large animals, and as I grew up

and understood how whale
populations had been decimated

through centuries
of commercial whaling,

it just became unbearable
not to do something to help.

Narrator: Susannah has been
visiting Patagonia since 2007,

studying whale acoustics
using underwater microphones.

She's recorded tens of thousands
of hours of blue-whale song

and has made
an extraordinary discovery.

We found out that the blue
whales here

produce a unique song dialect.

Narrator:
In fact, these are a distinct
subspecies of blue whale,

one of just five on the planet.

But they're not the only
leviathans in these waters.

Susannah's data has revealed
a shocking

and unfortunate coincidence.

Buchan:
The noise made by large ships
is in the same frequency band

as the songs
made by blue whales.

Their songs are drowned out.

Narrator: It's a big problem.

Blue whales rely on their calls

for communication
and courtship.

But ships aren't just noisy --
they're deadly.

Summer is peak season
for whales...and boats.

Over 1,000 vessels

pass through these waters
every day,

and more and more whales
are being hit.

Buchan:

Ohhhh!

We've got some whales.

Narrator: Susannah is determined

to protect
these magnificent creatures,

and she's hatched
an ingenious plan.

Buchan: Beautiful.

What I would like
to achieve here

is to implement
an acoustic alert system

that will alert ships
to the presence of whales

to reduce the risk
of ship strikes.

Narrator: A prototype has
already been made

by the University
of Concepción,

and with the cooperation
of shipping companies, by 2030,

the hope is to extend
these systems

all along
Patagonia's Pacific coast.

Buchan:
An ocean without whales

would be devastating
for all of us.

If we want healthy oceans,

then we want whales to be
part of those ecosystems.

Narrator: Susannah's plan will
be a game changer,

but human activities affect
whales in many different ways.

And this one has paid
the ultimate price.

A team of vets is launching
an investigation

to track down its killer.

Narrator: In Patagonia,
summer is all too short.

Wildlife and people
have only a few months

to make the most
of the ocean's riches

before the weather turns,

making the waters
less hospitable for both.

Right now, it's a gold rush.

With so much activity concentrated

in such a small area...

...there's bound to be trouble.

On the eastern side of the
Corcovado Gulf, a team of vets

has been called to investigate
a suspicious death.

The corpse of a blue whale.

A stark reminder that
in these busy waters

even the largest animal
on the planet is vulnerable.

Dr. Frederick Toro
and his team

are determined
to identify the killer.

Dr. Toro:

Narrator: It may have died
of natural causes,

but there's no shortage
of other likely suspects.

Fishing nets...

A ship strike...

Pollution.

The team confirms that
the victim is male,

tragically only four years old.

Blue whales can live to be 100.

Had he survived,
he might have fathered

more than 20 calves.

There's no apparent
external injury, so they go in.

After six exhausting hours,

Frederick's worst fears
are confirmed.

There are signs of
internal bleeding

and a bruise on its heart.

He died of blunt-force trauma
to the chest.

And there's only one thing
out there

that could inflict
such damage.

A ship.

In the past week alone,

three whales
have been reported dead.

And that doesn't include
the bodies

that have never been found.

But until the shipping traffic
is controlled,

summers in the Corcovado
will remain deadly

for these magnificent creatures.

While the world's largest
marine mammal

is running a lethal gauntlet,

up the coast, the world's
smallest marine mammal

is fighting its own battles.

This marine otter mom
has a busy day ahead.

She has two very hungry,
very demanding pups.

In Patagonia, these furry,
playful creatures

are known as chungungo.

This rocky coastline provides
mom with plenty of nooks

and crannies
to set up a den

and keep these mischievous pups
out of harm's way.

Mom spends the long days
catching crabs, fish,

and anything else she can find
to fill their growing bellies.

Even in summer, the waters
here are cold.

Lucky for her, in terms
of hairs per square inch,

otters have the thickest fur
of any animal.

But she's not
the only predator here.

Something else is lurking
in the kelp.

Narrator:
Off Chile's Pacific coast,
a hardworking marine otter mom,

a chungungo, is making the most
of the calm, midsummer seas.

And she's not alone.

But our mom has nothing to fear.

Melinka Gomboa is collecting
as many sea urchins as he can,

to feed his family
and sell at the local market.

Gomboa:

Narrator: Fishermen like Melinka
used to feel

very differently
about their fellow hunters.

Until just a few decades ago,

the chungungo
were seen as pests,

their fur a valuable prize.

They were hunted
almost to extinction.

But 15 years ago,
realizing they were about

to lose these
remarkable creatures forever,

Melinka's fishing community
had a change of heart.

Today, the locals
and the chungungo

happily share this shoreline.

Sometimes the fishermen
even toss them

an extra snack...

...making our hardworking
mom's life a little bit easier.

But these docks aren't just
the perfect place

for the otters to feast.

For the pups, they're
an underwater playground.

Exploring is all
part of growing up.

In a couple of months, they'll
have to fend for themselves.

Now, the chungungo
and the fishermen are bonding

over a new threat
to their way of life.

Huge commercial fishing boats.

With plenty of food
on their doorstep,

these chungungo rarely venture
far from these docks.

They're lucky.

Some have to travel quite a bit
further to get their fill.

This is Chiloé, an idyllic
island popular with tourists.

But during the summer,
its beaches are overcrowded

for a different reason.

Each year, tens of thousands
of migratory birds

come here to take in what,

for many, would be
its most unappealing feature --

the mud.

The swampy shallows are loaded
with worms, clams, crabs

and all sorts
of wiggly, nutritious goodies.

At low tide,
it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Among the diners is a
little bird with huge ambitions.

Soon these Hudsonian godwits
will undergo

a stunning transformation.

Their digestive organs
will shrink

and their wing muscles
will grow,

ready for an epic
annual migration --

a 5,000-mile flight
nonstop to Texas.

No sleeping, no eating,
no drinking.

They are the ultimate
long-haul fliers.

In just a few weeks, these
godwits will be on their way.

But first, they must fatten up
by almost 40%.

They are so focused
on finding food...

...they don't see it coming.

Narrator:
It's summer on Chiloé Island,

and for Hudsonian godwits,
the pressure is on.

They're gorging themselves
for a 5,000-mile,

nonstop flight to Texas.

They don't realize
they're being watched.

An ingenious trap has been set.

And the birds are settling
right in front of it.

Perfecto.

Narrator:
The people springing this trap
aren't hunting for food.

They're hungry for knowledge.

The team is from the Universidad
Austral de Chile.

Led by Juan Navedo, they come
here every summer

to study this astonishing bird.

Man:

Navedo:

Narrator:
The team measures and records
the bird's weight and size.

The godwits are released unharmed

and go right back
to packing on the pounds.

It's only been
a minor interruption

to their preparations.

These days, the godwits
have far more serious problems.

There are some on the island
who have found a way

to live in balance with nature.

For centuries, people here
have made a living

from the shoreline.

With almost 40 years
of experience,

Cristina Ovalle is an expert
at what she does --

harvesting seaweed
and shellfish.

Just like the birds,

her work day is governed
by the rhythm of the tides.

Ovalle:

Narrator: It's easy work for the
birds, but for Cristina,

it's backbreaking.

Cristina's seaweed is sent
all over the world,

used to make medicines
and cosmetics.

She has to work hard now to make
the most of the warm weather

and the long days.

All summer long,

the shores of Chiloé Island
are filled with birds

and people taking advantage
of its bounty.

But 100 miles to the south,

it couldn't be more different.

This is the Guaitecas,
a group of inaccessible islands

and a natural sanctuary
barely touched by humans,

home to one of Patagonia's
most elusive animals...

The Chilean dolphin.

Found only along this coastline,

very little is known about
this species.

This is one of the few times
they've ever been filmed.

Their distinctive round fins
and white bellies

make them easy to recognize.

At just five feet long,

they're one of the smallest
dolphin species in the world.

A calf, around two months old.

For the first year of her life,
she'll follow mom everywhere,

learning by example.

Like all dolphins,
they are very social --

they hunt,
play and rest together.

But two have separated
from the pod.

Late summer is the height
of the breeding season,

and these two want
a little privacy.

While these rare native
creatures hide away,

they have no idea that further

to the north is a hoard
of foreign invaders...

...millions of them.

Narrator: Summertime in
the fjords of Patagonia

is drawing to a close.

But for some, the living
is still easy.

Gangs of young male
southern sea lions

are making the most
of the last warm days.

They may look lazy on land,

but under the waves,
there's a party going on.

These sea lions can hold their
breath for up to 20 minutes

and swim at 20 miles
per hour,

helpful talents
for catching fish

and impressing your buddies.

For now, this gang
is happy hanging out,

but in about a year,
the males will be ready to breed

and they will fight
each other for females.

Size is everything.

Fully grown, they can weigh
over 1,000 pounds.

All this playing is
an excellent way to bulk up

and size up the competition.

This group has left the rocks
for a manmade resting spot...

with good reason.

The buoys mark the edge
of a fish farm.

As fall draws near,
these underwater pens

are packed with
hundreds of thousands

of fully grown salmon.

And there are often escapees.

Salmon farming arrived
in Chile in the 1980s.

These sheltered fjord lands are
the perfect temperature

for raising the valuable fish.

Today, there are
more than 1,500 farms

like this one,
providing over 70,000 jobs

and $5 billion worth of exports.

It's a huge boost
to Chile's economy.

But this rapid growth
comes at a price.

The farms are taking over
traditional fishing territories.

Sergio Mayorga Miranda fears
his way of life will disappear.

Miranda:

Narrator:
Sergio has been fishing
these waters all his adult life.

And it isn't just the fishermen
that are taking a hit.

It's the environment too.

To control disease
among the captive fish,

hundreds of tons of antibiotics
are poured into the pens.

This may keep the salmon healthy,

but it contaminates
the surrounding waters.

Also the cages sometimes break.

And while that provides
sea lions with an easy meal,

Atlantic salmon
are an invasive species.

They prey on native wildlife,
disrupting the food chain

and threatening the balance
of the ecosystem.

For Sergio, it is clear
what needs to be done.

Though outbreaks of disease
need to be prevented,

the government has introduced incentives

to reduce the use of antibiotics

and the companies
are showing interest.

Meanwhile, the fishermen
work hard

to keep their catch sustainable.

This time of year
it's jaiba mora crabs.

But they only keep the adults,
protecting future catches.

The surrounding environment
benefits too.

As scavengers,
crabs keep the waters clean,

and they provide a tasty meal

for any animal
with the right tools.

Dexterous paws and sharp teeth

are one such
winning combination.

But sometimes...

a big beak will do the job.

Patagonia's rich waters support

a fantastic diversity
of marine life,

including
a little-known creature

that may help us understand

one of the biggest threats
to our oceans.

And this woman is determined
to unlock its secrets.

Narrator: It's early fall in
the fjord lands of Patagonia.

The air is getting colder
and the nights longer.

To the east of the Corcovado
Gulf is the Comau Fjord.

25 miles long and more
than 1,500 feet deep.

A wildlife-rich hotspot
with hidden treasures

just below the surface

that very few know about
and even fewer have seen.

Haussermann:
Patagonia is very special

because there are secrets
hidden there that,

as a marine biologist, it's
really the dream to unravel.

For me, it's the most
beautiful place on Earth.

Narrator: In this remote fjord,
Vreni Haussermann has made

an extraordinary discovery.

Cold water corals.

Unlike tropical corals,
which need sunlight,

these depend solely
on plankton for survival.

Ecosystems like this
are usually found

as deep as 8,000 feet,

only accessible
by deepwater submersibles.

This is one of the only places
on Earth

where these corals can be found
in shallow waters,

giving Vreni a rare opportunity

to get a good,
long look at them.

They're worth the attention.

Greenhouse gases are not
just warming the world.

They're also increasing
the acidity of our oceans.

Here in the fjord,
the waters are naturally acidic.

They are a great case study
for ocean acidification

because the prognostics say that
the oceans in the world in 2100

will be like the fjord here,

and this gives us lots
of opportunities of research.

Narrator: If we can figure out
how these corals cope

with the conditions here,

it might help us
to protect marine life

in other parts
of our rapidly changing world.

But these creatures are in
danger from a familiar threat.

When I arrived, there were
three small salmon farms

and the fjord was near pristine.

Well, nowadays there are more
than 20 farms

and they are much,
much bigger than before.

Narrator: Contamination from
fish farms has led to bigger

and more frequent algae blooms.

And after dying off,
the decomposing blooms

suck oxygen from the water,

leaving less for marine life.

Boat traffic has also
increased here.

There's more trash, more lost
fishing lines and nets.

Vreni has seen half
of the corals die

along the fjord's shoreline.

Haussermann:
They are species that we hardly
see anymore, that disappeared.

The whole system could
destabilize and collapse.

Narrator: Vreni is determined
to fight for the corals.

She's going to use her research
to convince the government

that there's something
worth saving here

and that these areas
deserve to be protected.

For Vreni, it's a lifetime
of dedication

and passion
that she hopes to pass on.

Haussermann: I've discovered
a couple of new sea anemones.

Two of them
I've named after my kids.

For me it's really important
that they feel responsible,

that they feel
that their generation

should really take care
of what's living there

and preserve it
for future generations.

Bring the beauty of the marine
life to people

because once they've seen it,
they can start caring for it

and help to protect it.

Narrator: In Patagonia's fjords,
summer is over.

Migratory visitors are heading
for their winter homes...

...while the locals hunker down
for the tough months ahead.

This wild coastline has given
animals a place to feed, breed,

and take shelter...

And people the chance to reap...

...study...

...and enjoy the natural wonders...

of Patagonia's fjords.

Next on "Patagonia: Life
on the Edge of the World"...

...in the mountains,
condors own the skies.

While pumas reign below.

But their world is changing fast

and they need to adapt
to survive.