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Humpback whale feeding in Aberdeen harbour17/06/2011 16:20:27
Humpback whale in Aberdeen Harbour, photographed by Ian Hay, the project manager with the East Grampian Coastal Partnership June 2011. Aberdeen Harbour is well known locally as one of the best places in Europe for watching dolphins but it has been hosting a much bigger creature. Ian Hay, the project manager with the East Grampian Coastal Partnership, was on his way home from work, around 4.30 pm, when he decided to have a quick look for dolphins from the Torry Battery. A few people were watching something in the harbour mouth, but instead of the usual dolphins what surfaced was a humpback whale, one of the largest creatures on the planet. Latest news from Howard Loates, the Sea Watch co-ordinator for the Moray Firth, is that it has also been seen off Chanonry Point and was also seen breaching at the Sutors of Cromarty. Humpbacks can travel quite fast (4-15 km per hour) when on migration, but it is possible that there coulc be a second humpback. This comes just a few days after a Bottlenose dolphin gave birth in Aberdeen Harbour - See Bottlenose dolphin born in Aberdeen Harbour The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) grows up to 15m (49.5ft) and has a distinctive dorsal fin and body shape. It feeds in summer, usually in cold temperate and polar waters and then generally migrates to tropical or subtropical waters in winter to breed – travelling around 16,000 miles a year. In the last century, its numbers were decimated by the whale hunting industry. Numbers have recovered somewhat since the 1966 hunting ban, but it is still considered endangered. Sightings from around the British Isles have increased markedly since the early 1980s; occurring in three main areas – the Northern Isles south to Eastern Scotland; the northern Irish Sea to West Scotland; and the Celtic Sea between Southern Ireland, West Wales and Southwest England. The North Atlantic population is estimated to number around 12,000 individuals, mainly in the western North Atlantic. The humpback whale was observed by a few lucky visitors, including a tour bus which stopped to watch the Northlink ferry leave for Lerwick. As the ferry left, so did the whale. Unusually large numbers of seabirds Sea Watch local co-ordinator Kevin Hepworth has appealed for anyone who thinks they have seen it to let him know. He says: "Sightings like this add to our knowledge about the species. Although humpbacks are occasionally seen around the Scottish coast, they are not usually seen quite so close to land or in the harbour. If anyone thinks they have spotted it, please let me know on is 0752 386 1605.
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