Humpback whales may put on a majestic show off our coast. But deep at sea, they've been falling prey to a changing ocean environment that could be a threat in the future.
A new study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal estimates that some 7,000 humpbacks may have starved to death in the Northern Pacific.Humpback whales may put on a majestic show off our coast. But deep at sea, they've been falling prey to a changing ocean environment that could be a threat in the future.
While he was not involved in the study, he is very familiar with an ocean phenomenon that may have played a deadly role, a marine heatwave, known as 'the Blob.' The event was so strong, it's believed to have increased temperatures in the Northern Pacific by as much as 7 to 10 degrees, for several years, devastating the ocean food chain.
Bekah Lane studies risk factors for whales at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County. She's quick to point out that Humpbacks frequenting the Bay Area coast belong to a different migration group than the northern pacific population profiled in the study. But she says warming ocean temperatures from Alaska to California have also strained the food chain for populations here, including Humpbacks and Gray whales. This often pushes them closer to our shores.
Lane along with other researchers have helped to develop warning systems, designed to keep coastal whales safer from ship strikes. While out on the deeper ocean, researchers believe changes related to climate change could increase stresses on humpback populations in the future.
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