More than a hundred fin whales were filmed by the BBC in Antarctica, an unprecedented and ‘thrilling’ spectacle hailed by scientists on Thursday. The species was almost exterminated by whaling, which has been banned since 1976.
Their numbers have been reduced “to one or two percent of the size of their original population”, explained Helena Herr, a marine mammal scientist. In particular, whales were killed for the oil in their body fat, ‘an example of how humanity deals with resources […] as long as you can make a profit.
Footage filmed by a drone shows up to 150 of these whales darting through the water, blowing large plumes of air at the surface, while birds circle in the sky. It is a sign of hope for the second largest animal in the world, after blue whales, considered according to her as an ‘ecosystem engineer’.
Krill
The increase in the number of fin whales is seen by scientists as a good sign for the health of the oceans, and even for efforts to combat climate change.
The whales feed on iron-rich krill and defecate in surface waters, returning nutrients to the ocean that help support the growth of tiny phytoplankton, which use the sun’s rays to turn carbon dioxide into energy and oxygen (photosynthesis).
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has also classified the fin whale in the category of ‘vulnerable’ species. It estimates the world population at 100,000 individuals, most of which are found in the northern hemisphere.
Scientists say southern fin whale numbers have been slowly rebounding since whaling was banned in 1976, but few of these animals have been seen in large groups in their historic feeding grounds.
“We are talking about a few thousand animals remaining for the whole southern hemisphere zone,” explains Helena Herr.
/ATS