Whale watchers are baffled by a sudden increase in humpback whale sightings in the English Channel last month.
The Sussex Dolphin Project said the 30-tonne mammals have been sighted in areas between Rye, Pet Level, Fairlight, Hastings and St Leonards.
Between December 29 and January 8 this year, there were 17 whale sightings around the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall. guardian Reported.
Thea Taylor from the Dolphin Project told the BBC: “We believe that humpback whales passing through the eastern English Channel are coming from feeding grounds in the Arctic and heading south to warmer waters where they are often used as breeding grounds.” spoke.
“They typically migrate along the west coast of the UK, but we don’t currently know why they are moving to the east coast.”
An awestruck West Sussex resident said one of the animals “put on a show” for her while she watched.
“The whale was just getting close and suddenly it started jumping out of the water and gave us a proper look,” she told the BBC.
Traditionally, whales migrate around the west side of the UK, but some now swim down the east coast and through the Straits of Dover. Perhaps they are re-establishing an ancestral route that was abandoned when so many humpback whales were slaughtered in the 19th and 20th centuries. -Hunter.
The sightings suggest that the species’ global population has increased since commercial hunting was banned decades ago, but it could be a sign of changes in food availability. There is also.
However, the increase in winter sightings may also be related to changes in food availability. Humpback whales are filter feeders, scooping up large amounts of plankton, small crustaceans, and small fish.
“Around the south-west coast we see a lot of forage fish, which are small fish like anchovies,” said Ruth Williams, head of marine conservation at the Wildlife Trust. guardian.
“They reproduce very quickly and climate change is moving their stocks closer to our waters.”
“These individuals may be stopping by because they are vulnerable and need to feed, so we ask boat owners to give them space.”
