Although once rare, Humpback whales are now being encountered with increasing regularity in Scottish waters. They are known to migrate through these waters between their feeding and breeding grounds.
They can be easily distinguished from other baleen whales by knobbly tubercles on their heads and the distinctive hump in front of their small hooked dorsal fins. They have the largest forelimbs in the animal kingdom-leading to their scientific name- Megaptera meaning “giant winged”.
They can be very active at the surface, tail and fin slapping as well as breaching and lunge feeding. Their blow is described as ‘bushy’ and can be up to 4m tall. When fully grown they can reach up to 17 metres in length and they may live for 50 years.
Photos: © Cath Bain / Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Action Needed
- Continue to support efforts to reduce entanglements in fishing gear, including creels
- Support long-term monitoring and research to meet the requirements of the Habitats Regulations (formerly Article 11of the Habitats Directive), and provide the evidence needed to inform conservation and management decisions.
- Support research efforts to better understand humpback whale distribution and habitat use, behaviour and threats (i.e. underwater noise, entanglement, climate change).
- Integrate restrictions on noisy, high-impact activities into management plans for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), with particular focus on those designated for cetacean conservation.
- Publish the Cetacean Conservation strategy
- Support the implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy; specifically:
- Expand Scottish marine protected areas to 30% by 2030
- Increase the number of sites in Scotland’s Marine Protected Area network with specific fisheries management measures
- Invest in nature – implementation of Biodiversity Investment plan
Threats
Historically, humpback whales were targeted by commercial whaling and consequently global numbers dropped.
In Scottish waters today, humpback whales face considerable threats from entanglement in fishing ropes and lines. Other threats include noise pollution and disturbance from military, seismic, and offshore development activities and as our seas get busier, ship strikes and disturbance from recreational water users is having an increased impact.
As with all species of cetacean, the unknown impacts of climate change on them, their prey and the habitats on which they rely, is an overarching concern. All threats however are cumulative and should not be seen in isolation.
MSP Nature Champion
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