A spectacular feeding frenzy hardly ever seen in British seas has been filmed off the Welsh coast. A posse of predators, headed by huge fin whales, coraled prey fish into large prey balls within the Celtic Deep earlier than launching assaults.
Fin whales, which may develop to 80ft and are the quickest of all whales, and the second largest, had been seen diving deep to “herd” fish and push them to the floor. They then emerged to gulp a whole lot of fish into gaping mouths.
All of the whereas, smaller predators together with Frequent Dolphins, Atlantic bluefin Tuna and torpedo-shaped Blue sharks, darted into the massive fish ball to select off stragglers. Filming all of it was wildlife cameraman Dan Abbott, who mentioned it was a very unbelievable sight.
“It was the sort of factor you count on to see off the coast of South Africa, not within the Celtic Deep,” he mentioned. “5 – 6 years in the past, Fin whales had been filmed feeding on this space however not like this: this time all of the completely different predators had been in a single place. It was unbelievable.”
Dan Abbott, 37, adopted the motion from a ship operated by Pembrokeshire Boat Charters. He often works for the constitution as a shark information however, final Wednesday (August 16), no public day-trippers had been on board, just some marine specialists.
They had been some 35 miles out from Milford Haven once they noticed the predators gathering. At the very least two Fin whales had been current, most likely extra, suggesting a household group that, in all probability, additionally contained no less than one calf.
Dan, from Pembrokeshire, mentioned they bought fortunate. “The circumstances had been the perfect we’ve seen to date, and had been most likely the perfect we’ll get all 12 months,” he mentioned. “For dolphin and whale sightings, you want calm seas to identify their blows. When there’s a swell, it’s rather more troublesome.”
The boat’s crew watched on for half-hour. In addition to deploying his drone, Dan swam over to the fish ball for close-ups of the feeding motion. Because the ensuing footage is so uncommon, for UK waters, he has shared simply two clips with North Wales Dwell, each displaying Fin whales on the floor as they put together to dive once more.
He mentioned: “Dolphins had been following the whales. Like the opposite predators, they had been ready on the floor for the whales to dive down, so conserving their very own efforts,
“Utilizing the drone, we may see a big black mass (of fish) within the sea, then abruptly a darkish form looming from the depths to engulf the fish in its huge open mouth.
“Visibility was good – right down to 10 metres – and from the drone excessive above – you might begin seeing the whales lunging from about 15 metres. However just for two or three seconds – fin whales are the quickest whales on the planet.”
The fin whale is the world’s second-largest mammal after the blue whale. They pressure meals from the water by baleen plates. It’s speculated that fin whales frighten colleges of fish into denser balls by circling them with their white undersides dealing with the prey.
Earlier this 12 months a dying sperm whale washed up on the Llŷn Peninsula. This was measured at 32ft, lower than half the size of an grownup fin whale.
Utilizing the drone as a sort of “whale tracker allowed the boat’s skipper to put his vessel in the suitable place to keep away from disturbing the mammals’ feeding behaviour. “After the whales dived, they wanted a brief restoration interval,” mentioned Dan,
“You’ll be able to think about the quantity of water they swallow. All that must be pushed again out with their tongues, leaving the fish behind. Then they take a few deep breaths – a bit like us sucking in oxygen – earlier than diving once more. It means you may get a reasonably good concept of once they’re about to dive once more.”
Expectantly, all of the footage captured by Dan may someday be accessible on community TV. That’s what he’s hoping for anyway. Even when it doesn’t, he counts himself privileged to have seen such a unprecedented sight.
“It was actually fascinating to observe all of them,” he mentioned. “Fin whales will not be unusual on the Irish Sea – I noticed one a month in the past. However seeing so many predators feed like that is uncommon.
“The week earlier than I noticed an orca – they’re the last word predator. They’ll assault dolphins, tuna and Minke whales, and also you wouldn’t put it previous them to tackle Fin whales too. Even when Orcas are simply passing by, it’s an indication there’s loads of meals round. All this exercise is an effective indicator of a wholesome marine ecosystem right here.”
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This text by Andrew Forgrave was first revealed by North Wales Dwell on 23 August 2023. Lead Picture: Dolphins swim alongside the fin whales with different fish predators of their wake (Picture: Dan Abbot)