A Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, has been seen floating upside down off the coast of Looe in Cornwall, England, having apparently become entangled. The Animal was investigated by the RNLI after it was mistakenly reported as a capsized yacht on Friday 12 March 2021; however closer investigation revealed it to be a Whale, which was later identified as a Humpback by an expert from British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
Humpback Whales were nearly exterminated by commercial Whaling in the first part of the twentieth century. The species has been protected since 1946, and in recent years their population has appeared to be recovering in many areas, now being seen as being of Least Concern under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. The Whales are recovering in many parts of the globe, and are starting to appear in areas where they have not previously been recorded.
Humpback Whales were nearly exterminated by commercial Whaling in the first part of the twentieth century. The species has been protected since 1946, and in recent years their population has appeared to be recovering in many areas, now being seen as being of Least Concern under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. The Whales are recovering in many parts of the globe, and are starting to appear in areas where they have not previously been recorded.
These Whales are becoming increasingly common in waters around the UK, with a number of sighting off the coast of Cornwall and around the Scilly Islands in the past few months, but are also increasingly coming into rivers and other areas where they are more at risk from Human activities, as well as being stranded on beaches and becoming entangled in fishing gear.
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