[Video]Endangered fin whales encountered a large group of 1,000 | National Geographic Japan site

A school of fin whales filled the sea as far as the eye could see, their breath blurring the horizon.

In January 2022, passengers and crew of the polar exploration cruise ship National Geographic Endurance encountered this mystical sight near the Antarctic Peninsula. It’s a large flock that hasn’t been observed since commercial whaling pushed fin whales to near extinction. (Reference article:“[Video]Over 300 gigantic whales at the ‘great party’, filmed successfully”）

“What greeted us as we sailed north of Coronation Island was an unbelievable sight, with whales blowing up all over the horizon,” says zoologist Conner. Ryan says. Ryan is also the resident naturalist on the National His Geographic Endurance, operated by the cruise travel company Lindblad Expeditions.

“As we got closer, we were surrounded by the constant roar of the whales, constantly wiping the water vapor from their exhaled breath onto our camera lenses and sunglasses,” Ryan said. e-mailed me.

Approximately 830 to 1,153 fin whales were present, along with several humpback and blue whales. The target is a large school of krill that spreads off the coast of Coronation Island, which is located in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula. (Reference article:“The resurgence of the humpback whale that no one could have predicted”）

Researchers at Stanford University, who analyzed photographs and videos of the whale pod, say it may be the largest sighting of a baleen whale since commercial whaling was curtailed in the late 20th century as whale populations declined. Say. The largest pod of fin whales ever recorded is just over 300.

“A little over 100 years ago, a herd of 1,000 animals would have been common,” says Matthew Savoca, a marine ecologist at Stanford University. He co-authored a paper about the event published Feb. 20 in the journal Ecology.

The fin whale weighs about 80 tons, making it the second largest after the blue whale. About a million whales once swam the world’s oceans, but 100 years of commercial whaling have reduced their numbers by about 98%. Although numbers are now increasing, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed fin whales as vulnerable.

The sighting of the horde gives National Geographic explorer Savoca hopes for a recovery in fin whale numbers in the Antarctic. But concerns remain. One of the biggest threats to fin whales is collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear. In fact, during this encounter, the whales were seen surrounded by several commercial krill fishing vessels. (Reference article:“Blue whale tangled in fishing gear, difficult rescue”）

Next page: Concerns over krill fishing