Fin Whales, the second-largest animal on the planet, after the blue whale, were hunted to near extinction in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Baleen whales, like their blue whale and humpback cousins, fin whales are generally solitary, or so we thought.
But recently a whale researcher traveling aboard the National Geographic Endurance filmed as many of 1,000 of the mighty animals, grouping together near the South Orkney Islands, not terribly far from Antarctica.
From an article in The Guardian by Philip Hoare:
This vast assembly was spread over a five-mile-wide area between the South Orkney islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. A single whale is stupendous; imagine 1,000 of them, their misty forest of spouts, as tall as pine trees, the plosive sound of their blows, their hot breath condensing in the icy air. Their sharp dorsal fins and steel-grey bodies slide through the waves like a whale ballet, choreographed at the extreme south of our planet.
Scientists have recently discovered that sperm whales, which do tend to gather in groups, learned to spread out in the presence of whalers, as a means of self-preservation. Perhaps, Hoare wonders, we only think krill-eaters like the fin whale were solitary because they too learned that gathering in groups was a death sentence when faced with hunters armed with harpoons. Perhaps this amassing was once normal.
Either way, it’s a spectacular thing to see these whales, which once numbered in the millions, now reduced to only thousands, grouping at this sort of scale.
We found about 1000 fin whales over a 5×5 mile area off South Orkney. Blue and humpback also mixed in. Mind completely blown 🐳 @LindbladExp #NationalGeographicEndurance pic.twitter.com/xtdvexXwI5
— Conor Ryan (@whale_nerd) January 14, 2022
The presence of the whales is good news, but the bad news is “four large krill fishing vessels working the same area.” Fishing should be completely forbidden in Antarctic waters. Good god, humans grab the very bottom of the food chain in their greed.
You are absolutely right!
Antarctica is a world preserve. Commercial Fishing needs to be banned. The food chain needs to be intact for whales to survive. Krill might be a supplement for humans but it’s the whales diet. Leave it alone.
Wow yes Wow how very interesting so amazing and fascinating. All these beautiful mammals want to do is live their lives. It’s a truly ashamed that hunters have no respect for these Beautiful creatures. What are we leaving for future generations??? There should be a law put in place to protect these beautiful mammals against these ruthless silly hunters that don’t have an understanding. You guys that’s doing the research God bless you for the wonderful work you’re doing to protect these beautiful mammals that also have feelings and more intelligent than most human.
Hope the whalers don’t read adventure journal….
After advertising this im sure vessels have left China to hunt them they should have been left I peace
The Japanese whaling fleet can no longer go into the Southern Ocean as it is a Marine Sanctuary, as they are now officially commercially whaling, they are whaling in their own waters and their EEZ.
I so agree with all those who believe that we should be looking out for these beautiful beings of the sea!!!
Meanwhile up here on the Atlantic, …..”The primary cause of death for North Atlantic right whales is entanglement in vertical ropes that run between lobster and crab traps” ……; we kill 20 some each year, and on top of that, large ships run over another dozen or so… It’s so nice to see all those Fin whales. Somebody. somewhere, needs to step in and protect those beautiful animals.
What nationality were the people that nearly brought them to extinction?
Very nice to read, they were smarter than people…
It still is happening today, with all year fishing and hunting… we are letting the world become distinct with many animals!!!!!!! Such a same!!!!
When I see the huge pots of Krill pills in health food shops it makes me furious-they have questionable benefit for humans;but are essential for whales…we have to stop this looting of the sea.
We as humans can find other maybe more expensive ways then eating there main food .We do not need to rob these beautiful animals of Krill and many other things they steel from the oceans as I know not all other things in those nets are alive and returned also to the seas.why just to save a few dollars do we insist on starving all these living beings to death.I think this is why sharks are gathering around our people popular beaches and attacking people.We took so much of there food also and they eat or die.We get made at Mother Nature when we are the guilty ones and forcing them to look at us as the only abundance of food left for them.I new when I saw krill pills being sold they once again were steeling whales food.If we don’t kill them direct then we will starve them to death.
I agree this unethical slaughter has got to stop
Yes you’re so right, it’s not fair, they are killing every beautiful creature