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Panorama — News — Nature — Baltrum — Bucklewal — nature protection — Ham — Sea mammal — Wilhelmshaven — Wadden Sea — Detection — Lower Saxony — Germany — science — Level — North Sea

Rarer Humpback Whale troubs the southern North Sea

A young beluga whale was recently discovered in the North Sea. Sightings of these large sea mammals are rather rare near the German coasts. Is the shallow Wadden Sea a danger for the whale?

,   and  Viktoriya Miller
2 min read
A young beluga whale was recently discovered in the North Sea. This is quite unusual.
A young beluga whale was recently discovered in the North Sea. This is quite unusual.

Meerseseiddle - Rarer Humpback Whale troubs the southern North Sea

A rare humpback whale was spotted in the German North Sea off the eastern coast of the island of Baltrum. The crew of a surveying ship made a recording of the animal at the end of June, according to Thea Hamm, responsible for marine mammals at the National Park Administration Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer in Wilhelmshaven. This is undoubtedly a younger humpback whale, Hamm said. "They are very rare guests in the German Bight", the expert added. Several media had reported on the sighting earlier.

Humpback whales are 12 to 15 meters long and can weigh up to 30 tons. They live in polar seas and migrate to tropical waters to calve. "They have to swim back and forth for that", Hamm explained. The exact routes are not known, but humpback whales are believed to migrate from Iceland and Norway, moving westward towards the British Isles. "Calves are more curious than adult animals", the biologist said. The youngster may have taken a different route through the North Sea.

Scientists also spotted a humpback whale

Approximately six weeks ago, a humpback whale was also sighted in the North Sea. Scientists from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation are currently investigating, as part of a research project, how common whales are in the North Sea. According to a report, experts from a ship recorded dozens of sightings of minke whales, harbor porpoises, and even a humpback whale. However, the area the researchers are studying, the Doggerbank, is located further in the central North Sea - about 250 kilometers from Helgoland.

Humpback whales are rarely guests in the Wadden Sea

Humpback whales are occasionally spotted off the German coast. In early April, for example, a whale caused a stir at the Schleswig-Holstein Ostsee coast. At that time, the whale swam in circles in the Flensburger and Kieler Fjord. Experts from NABU assumed that schools of herring had attracted the whale to the Ostsee coast.

Since 2003, according to the Wattenmeer Protection Station, there have been almost annual sightings of individual humpback whales along the Dutch coast. In winter 2012, a 12-meter long humpback whale stranded on a sandbank off the island of Texel in the shallow Wattenmeer and died despite all rescue efforts.

  1. The sighting of the humpback whale in the North Sea is a testament to the ongoing efforts in nature protection in Lower Saxony, Germany.
  2. The plight of the humpback whale in the Wadden Sea was highlighted when a 12-meter long individual stranded near Bucklewal and sadly died.
  3. The detection of humpback whales in the North Sea has sparked interest among scientists in Wilhelmshaven, who are conducting research to understand their migration patterns.
  4. Visitors to Baltrum might be lucky enough to spot a sea mammal, as humpback whales are occasional guests in the Wadden Sea, although they are more commonly found in the North Sea.
  5. The sighting of a humpback whale in the North Sea has also been reported in Bucklewal, raising concerns about the impact of human activities on these vulnerable creatures.
  6. The presence of humpback whales in the North Sea raises questions about the effectiveness of marine conservation efforts and the need for further research and protection in the area.
  7. The discovery of humpback whales in the North Sea is a reminder of the importance of preserving the ecosystem of the North Sea and the Wadden Sea for future generations.

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