Living the Life of a Whale

The Old Whale Biologist

Over the years, whales have shown that they are incredible oceanographers. They are able to locate super dense concentrations of plankton that oceanographers with expensive scientific equipment are unable to find. Also, they can find the edges of upwellings that are usually abundant with food.

Whales are opportunists. If there is a big school of baitfish available, then they will feed on baitfish. A few years back (1987-88), the sand lance (a type of baitfish and an important food of the humpbacks) were not available to the whales. But there were abundant schools of mackerel in the area. The whales feasted on them. Unfortunately, the mackerel had eaten plankton that were toxic from a natural occurrence called red tide. More than 14 humpbacks were found dead from the mackerel they had eaten. Being an opportunist isn’t always good.

Years ago, I was on a ship out of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. There were four whales feeding together on baitfish and making what is known as bubble clouds beneath the surface. On one occasion the bubble cloud was emitted close to the bow of the ship where I was standing. Twenty seconds later, two of the whales surfaced in the center of the bubble cloud with their mouths wide open, water and fish streaming out of their lower jaws. I could see the dark baleen hanging down from the upper jaw. Special moments like this one have sparked my lifelong passion for studying whales.

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