Fin whale sightings to become 'common' off Cumbria coasts (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Fin whale sightings to become 'common' off Cumbria coasts

9:09am Friday 8th December 2006 in News By The Westmorland Gazette

THE sight of the world's second largest animal cruising through the waters off the coast of Cumbria is set to become more common, according to experts.

Marine scientists say that following decades in decline, fin whales have begun to venture nearer the coast of Britain and can now be spotted from several points along the coast of North West England such as Silverdale, Morecambe, Workington Harbour and Maryport.

The mammal is nicknamed the greyhound of the seas' because it can reach swimming speeds of up to 30mph.

Research associate of the Department of Zoology at Oxford University and director of the marine conservation charity Sea Watch Foundation Peter Evans said that the fin whale, along with the minke whale, had become much more common in the Irish Sea over the past two years.

He cautiously welcomed the increase and said that it could be down to a number of factors such as an increase in sea temperatures or a shift in sea currents, meaning the whales' food stocks of plankton and shoal fish were now found nearer to land.

Although the hunting of fin whales in British waters stopped in the late 1920s, they continued to decline because of hunting by other countries in the North Atlantic.

Fin whales:primarily eat small invertebrates and fish and can weigh up to 50 tonnes... eat while swimming on their side with their mouth open... are black or dark grey in colour with a white belly and their dorsal fin can be 60cm tall....surface every six to ten minutes for four to seven blows...use their powerful tail flukes against sharks and other whales.

According to figures from the foundation, ten official sightings of fin whales have been recorded off the coast of Britain so far this year, which is 30 per cent of the number recorded in the previous 40 years.

In July this year, a fin whale was seen in the shipping canal of the Moray Firth, in North Scotland, while in May a 60ft mother and her calf were seen two miles north west of Coll, in the Hebrides.

Other recorded sightings have taken place in the St George's Channel, although the foundation added that many sightings would not have been recorded.

Anyone wishing to record a sighting should call the Sea Watch Foundation on 01545-561227 or e-mail sightings@seawatch foundation.org.uk .