Humpback whales back in Britain, with rise in sightings from Kent to Isles of Scilly
Humpback whales back in Britain, with rise in sightings from Kent to Isles of Scilly
www.theguardian.com Humpback whales back in Britain, with rise in sightings from Kent to Isles of Scilly
More sightings may be a positive sign for growing population but also indicative of effect of climate change
Traditionally, the whales move around the western side of Britain but some are now swimming down the east coast and through the Strait of Dover – possibly re-establishing ancestral routes that were abandoned when so many humpbacks were slaughtered by 19th- and 20th-century whale-hunters.
Experts say the sightings could be a positive sign that the humpback whales’ global population of 84,000 mature animals is recovering following the ban on commercial hunting in 1986.
