Drones capture fin whales feeding off Spain

They can grow up to 24 metres in length

Drones captured how fin whales return to the same part of the Spanish coast year after year to feast on krill. | Youtube: Newzee

ReutersBarcelona15/03/2021 11:52

Drones have captured how fin whales have returned to the same part of the Spanish coast in an annual ritual to feast on krill.

The common fin whale lives in oceans around the world, including the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. They migrate seasonally from different seas to feed and reproduce.

The graceful sea mammals, the second-largest whale species in the world growing to up to 24 metres in length, were recorded in 700 hours of film by the EDMAKTUB Association, a scientific organisation which documents the movements and behaviour of these whales.

For the past seven years, the association has documented how common fin whales come to feed up to six miles off the coast south of Barcelona and Tarragona in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia.

Some of the whales return to the same stretch of coastline to feed.

"Of more than 132 whales observed, 10% have been seen in previous years," said Eduard Degollada, EDMAKTUB association president, who added each animal could be identified by distinctive markings on their heads.