This group of 150 fin whales is one of the largest ever recorded. Source: Alfred-Wegener-Institute.
Researchers from the Alfred-Wegener-Institute have observed a wonderment of nature after they managed to see over 100 southern fin whales feeding together.
A group of scientists and filmmakers captured the incredible sight in the Antarctic with Biologist and Professor Bettina Meyer saying that she’s “never seen so many whales in one place before” and that it’s amazing to see them return to their “ancestral feeding grounds”.
Professor Meyer and her team were on an expedition to study the effects of climate change on krill when they came across the fin whales. They reported seeing over 100 groups of fin whales over a 3250 km2 radius with each group consisting of about four whales, but in in two circumstances saw groups that had about 50-70.
Experts believe the large feeding numbers can be attributed to the ban of commercial whaling, with the population now having “rebounded” since the prohibition was introduced in the mid-70s.
According to the research over 700,000 fin whales were killed between 1904 and 1976.
They say that krill numbers have also risen, contributing positive benefits to the Antarctic ecosystem.
“When the whale population grows, the animals recycle more nutrients, increasing the productivity of the Southern Ocean. This boosts the growth of algae, which for their part absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, reducing the atmospheric CO2 concentration,” said Professor Meyer.
Many of the observations were recorded off Elephant Island and the Weddell Sea off the Antarctic peninsula where researchers took over 22 flights, with Professor Meyer attributing the data collection to technology.
“I ran straight to our monitor, which uses acoustic measuring methods to show the presence and size of krill swarms in the water,”
“And based on the data, we were able to identify the swarms and even see how the whales hunted them.”
According to the Alfred-Wegener-Institute, a German based Antarctic research foundation, southern fin whales are the second largest behind the blue whale.
The current fin whale population is estimated to be about 100,000.
