[MARMAM] Fin and humpback whales in the Pelagos Sanctuary

[jerome couvat]

Dear MARMAMers,

Apologies for this late message but there was some trouble in publishing it.

We would like to inform you of quite an unusual sighting in the Pelagos 
Sanctuary this week. On July 23, around 11am, one of the whale-watching 
operators we work with made a sighting of a 7m humpback whale following 
a 15m fin whale. The humpback was swimming about 30m behind the fin 
whale, following it and diving in synchrony. Pictures of the humpback 
were taken and a video was also made, leaving no doubt on the 
identification of both species. The two animals were sighted between 
Nice and Calvi (Corsica) about 30NM off Nice. They were heading west at 
a speed of 1-2 knots. The humppback has not been seen since then.
Sightings of humpback whales have been increasing in the Mediterranean 
Sea in the last years but this is, to our knowledge, the first time such 
an observation is made in the Med.

Jérôme Couvat
Souffleurs d'Ecume
www.souffleursdecume.com

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