The Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) It is the second largest animal on the planet, surpassed only by the Blue whale. (Balaenoptera musculus). Weighing up to 120,000 kg and measuring up to 27 metres in length, it is the fastest whale, capable of reaching speeds of 37 km/h.

Recently, their presence in the Mediterranean has increased, and during the spring we have been able to see them very close to our coast! These impressive animals face serious threats: plastic pollution, maritime traffic, entanglement in fishing nets and noise pollution. Protecting Fin whales benefits us all, as they play a vital role in the health of the oceans and in the fight against climate change. A single whale can capture as much carbon from the atmosphere as thousands of trees. If we look after the oceans, they repay us with clean air and a habitable planet.

The fin whale belongs to the family Balenopteridae and to the suborder Mysticeti, or baleen whales. Because of its size, the fin whale could only be mistaken for the sperm whale. (Physeter macrocephalus), a common species in the Mediterranean, which belongs to the baleen whale group. However, the rorqual can be easily identified by its blow, which forms a narrow column between 4 and 6 metres high, and by its diving sequence. It blows 2 to 5 times at intervals of about 10–20 seconds before diving for 5–15 minutes. When it surfaces to breathe, it first raises the top of its head, blows with its back slightly visible, and dives without showing its tail fin. They usually dive to depths of 100 to 200 metres.

Baleen whales feed mainly on krill. (small crustaceans up to 75 mm in length that form part of the zooplankton), but when the abundance of their main food decreases they can also feed on copepods, small fish (mackerel, anchovies and sardines) and squid.

One of the most spectacular features of these cetaceans is their feeding technique. The whale, like other baleen whales, has baleen hanging from its upper jaw instead of teeth. An adult has about 300 whiskers on each side of its mouth. made of keratin (the same substance that forms our nails and hair) that can reach up to 76 cm in length. To feed, they swim rapidly (4 metres per second) towards a krill bank and, as they arrive, slow down and open their mouths wide thanks to the gular folds, inflating like a parachute. A whale has between 50 and 100 gular folds, long longitudinal folds of skin that run from beneath the mouth to the navel. The negative pressure generated inside the mouth draws in large quantities of water, krill and other fish. When it closes its mouth, it traps the water and prey within. They then exert strong pressure with their tongue and the ventral parts of the mouth cavity, forcing water out through the baleen plates but trapping the krill inside. It can take in up to 70 cubic metres of water in a single gulp. Each gulp provides them with around 10 kg of food! During the feeding season, they repeat this process hundreds of times a day to meet their energy needs.

They have a single offspring every two to three years, after a gestation period of between 11 and 12 months. During the lactation period, the young absorbs 72 litres of milk each day. They reach sexual maturity between the ages of six and seven and can live for up to eighty to ninety years. They are not gregarious animals and generally move in small groups.

Although the majority of the world's population of fin whales resides in colder waters, such as the North Atlantic, An increase in these whales has been observed in the Mediterranean in recent years. This could be attributed to the changes in oceanographic conditions and in the migration patterns of other fish species which form part of the common whale's diet. Along our coastline, individuals can be observed during the spring months when they come to feed, sometimes very close to shore. These individuals may remain for days or weeks in certain feeding areas. They are mostly from the Mediterranean population, heading towards the Ligurian Sea.

According to the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the fin whale is classified as a vulnerable species., and is included in Annex IV of Directive 92/43/EEC “Habitats” as Protected species.

Threat Factors

Fin whales, as well as blue whales, are the largest animals ever to have existed on our planet, and it can be said that they have no non-human predators. Orcas are the only known natural predators of these animals, but their great size means that only the calves are truly vulnerable.

Until the late twentieth century, the whale was caught on an industrial scale for its meat, fat, oil and whalebone. It is estimated that the exploitation of the whaling industry caused the number of common whales to fall by more than 70 per cent. In the 1950s, hunting exceeded almost 10,000 whales per year, driving these animals to the brink of extinction.

Since the fin whale is a fast whale, harpoons are used that explode on impact with the animal, taking advantage of the moment it surfaces to breathe. This hunting method does not ensure instant death; in fact, more than half of the individuals take hours to die, causing them a very cruel death. It would surely be banned if it involved land mammals.

Although nowadays the countries that practise whaling are an exception, the current threats to all cetaceans in the Mediterranean still stem from our activities.

Plastics pollution is a threat to many marine species around the world, including cetaceans. If plastic pollution continues at its current rate, it is predicted that by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic than fish by weight. We must bear in mind that the very nature of the ocean, with its tides, global currents and connections, means that pollution never stays where it originated.

In just one year, a plastic bag or a fishing net abandoned on the east coast of Asia can end up thousands of miles away in the Pacific. A scientific study carried out by The Ocean Cleanup Foundation determined in 2018 that the surface area of the great Pacific plastic patch, which perhaps constitutes the largest “reservoir” of suspended plastics on Earth, exceeded 1.6 million square kilometres. (equivalent to Spain, Germany and France combined) and weighed 80,000 tonnes. This gives us an idea of how our behaviour and the interconnections and feedback cycles between people and nature influence one another. Virtually all the plastic in the oceans originates from river pollution that carries it into the sea.

The large abundance of microplastics in the sea particularly affects mysticetes, or baleen whales, due to their feeding system, as they ingest virtually everything in the water except large objects or animals.  In a single day, a blue whale can ingest up to 10 million pieces of microplastics, which is equivalent to 43.6 kilos of waste per day!

Almost all the microplastics that enter whales' bodies were already in their prey, including krill. (We also eat some of this prey, such as anchovies or sardines.). The ingestion of this enormous quantity of microplastics prevents these cetaceans from properly absorbing nutrients and also causes damage to their digestive tract. Microplastics often contain high levels of toxins and contaminants., such as phthalates, organobromines, heavy metals, styrenes, antibacterials and organochlorine compounds, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These toxins, which accumulate over the years in the tissues of these animals, could disrupt physiological processes by acting as endocrine disruptors and impairing their immune system or reproductive function (the toxins have also been found in cetacean breast milk).

Maritime traffic in the Mediterranean is another of the main threats facing baleen whales. The high presence of large vessels and commercial ships off the Catalan coast makes the risk of collisions with whales in their feeding areas very high. Many animals have marks and wounds caused by collisions with vessels, some of them serious, such as cases of lumbar scoliosis, a spinal deformity just behind the dorsal fin. It is also worth mentioning the disturbances caused by pleasure boats, where people sometimes act irresponsibly, for example by getting too close to the animals, throwing food at them or making loud noises. Royal Decree 1717/2007 of 21 December establishes mWhale protection measures, in the event of spotting one of these animals during recreational activities.

On the other hand, Whales can become entangled in fishing gear, such as ropes and nets. Untangling a whale from a net, besides being dangerous, is very complicated. And if, in the end, the whale cannot free itself, it dies very slowly, over weeks or even months!. Watch video.

Acoustically, the ocean is a completely different place from land; sound can travel enormous distances and much faster. Whales have evolved by taking advantage of this, so they see the ocean through sound, Our eyes are their ears. They use sound to communicate with other members of the group, to find their father or mother, or mothers to find their young, to seek a partner, to even listen to the sound of plankton, and to navigate in the vast ocean. Noise pollution not only causes stress in animals, but also masks the natural sounds that cetaceans need for their survival.

Recently, it has been discovered that the vocalisations of mysticetes are very low-frequency sounds (from 30 to 300 Hz) produced thanks to anatomical adaptations of the larynx, in contrast to the sounds produced by odontocete cetaceans, such as dolphins, which are able to make vocalisations using nasal air sacs located beneath the blowhole. Thus, The low-frequency sounds of baleen whales, such as the humpback, can travel for hundreds of kilometres from their source, but they often overlap with human-made noise, such as that from shipping, preventing the animals from communicating.

In the Mediterranean there are some 200,000 ship movements each year, it is one of the busiest areas. This produces an almost constant sonic “fog” that masks the natural sounds crucial to these animals' survival, meaning they cannot hear each other for up to half the time.

Soundscape Library (From ‘Sounds Too Many’). CC BY-NC. Copyright: Courtesy of Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza and TBA21–Academy. To know mores.

Impact of the Offshore Wind Farm

The planned construction of the North Costa Brava offshore wind farm, from Cap de Creus to Cap de Begur, could pose a threat to the marine wildlife of our coast. The current Spatial Planning of Maritime Areas (POEM) designates as an area suitable for industrialisation for wind energy development the area located between the underwater canyons of Cap de Creus, the Gulf of Roses, Pals Bay and Cap de Begur Bay, an area that is also surrounded by zones enjoying the highest possible level of protection from the Spanish State and is the most biodiverse area on the entire Catalan coast.

In Scotland, the world's first two floating offshore wind farms have been built: Hywind Scotland and Kincardine. Both comprise just five wind turbines, and on Portugal's coast there is another, which has three turbines. Most of the projects proposed off our coast consist of 34 or 35 wind turbines, like the Tramuntana wind farm, except for the pharaonic Catwind project, which has a total of 82 wind turbines!

The installation of offshore wind turbines involves numerous activities that can generate high levels of sound pressure, added to the already high levels of noise from general maritime traffic. Once constructed, and during their operation, the loud noise and vibrations from the turbines and mounting structures could particularly affect cetaceans and other animals that are present in this area on a permanent or seasonal basis, via migration routes.

Contrary to what we might think, floating wind turbines have an impact on a much wider area compared with turbines anchored to the seabed with a foundation. Four moorings, each made up of chains over 1,000 metres long, are required. These mooring lines are not tensioned but rely on gravity to create tension. Marine mammals disorientated by the loud noise or low water clarity (turbidity) caused by the movement of the chains would face an even higher risk of collision. against these wind farm structures and the vessels responsible for construction and maintenance operations. 

Likewise, the kilometres of very high-voltage (subsea) electrical cable will also undergo constant daily movement in response to fluctuations in currents and winds, causing devastating impact on the seabed. The emission of electromagnetic fields from these cables can affect cetaceans, fish and invertebrates that use magnetic fields for navigation. Find out more in our article. Wrong energy model.

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As of 30 October 2024, seven projects for a large-scale offshore wind farm on the Costa Brava have been submitted. We particularly highlight the latest project promoted by REPSOL, which envisages siting 76 wind turbines 413 metres high in the Gulf of Roses and the Bay of Pals and routing the overhead very high-voltage evacuation line through the municipality of Pals. A 25-kilometre line is planned between Racó Beach in Begur and La Farga in Gironès. Other affected areas: Bordils, Flaçà, Foixà, Fontanilles, Gualta, Rupià, Sant Joan de Mollet, Serra de Daró and Ullastret.

How do whales help to fight climate change?

Whales, such as the baleen whales, are among the largest animals in the world, with very long lifespans, and are the protagonists of long annual migrations. They thus play a crucial role in mitigating climate change, helping to circulate nutrients throughout the ocean and transfer atmospheric CO₂ to the depths of the oceans. Scientists have estimated that a whale's capacity to capture carbon from the atmosphere is equivalent to that of thousands of trees. When they die, their remains fall to the bottom of the oceans and settle on the seabed, preserving the carbon they have stored during their lives within their bodies.

On the other hand, their faeces, rich in nutrients such as iron and nitrogen, serve as food for phytoplankton, which through photosynthesis absorbs a large amount of CO2 and provides almost 50 per cent of the oxygen we breathe into the atmosphere.

These benefits, then, can be extended to the entire marine ecosystem. The seas and oceans absorb CO₂.₂ of the atmosphere and release O₂, And therefore, if we look after them, they are a natural way to combat climate change. For this reason, the risks of altering these ecosystems must always be assessed, since the potential benefits of building a wind farm may not outweigh the natural benefits provided by the marine areas where we wish to install them and the animals that live there.

The Importance of the Cetacean Migration Corridor

The Mediterranean is one of the few places in the world where you can observe such an impressive diversity of cetaceans. The Catalan Mediterranean is home to the Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the short-beaked dolphin (Delphinus delphis), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), the long-finned pilot whale (Grampus melas), the Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), the Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and Cuvier's whale (Ziphius cavirostris).

The cetacean migration corridor is a continuous strip of marine waters covering approximately 45,000 km² that stretches between the Catalan and Valencian coasts and the Balearic Islands. It is an area of high ecological value, not only because it serves as a migratory corridor for the common whale to its breeding and feeding grounds in the northern Mediterranean, but also because it is a habitat and feeding area. for a wide range of other cetaceans, as well as various species such as the loggerhead turtle, sharks and seabirds.

This corridor has become a Marine Protected Area with the aim of safeguarding the cetacean populations that inhabit or migrate through this area and ensuring that the critical areas for the cetacean life cycle remain intact.

However, The only measure provided for under the current protection is a ban on hydrocarbon exploration, leaving out regulations—for example—to limit maritime traffic, causing deaths from collisions and noise pollution. Not only that, but the protected area excludes crucial cetacean habitats such as the bays of Pals and Roses and the submarine canyons. One example is the recent sightings by the Noa association of beaked whales or Cuvier's beaked whales off Begur and Palamós, specifically in the Fonera Canyon, a spectacular underwater valley 50 metres wide and 2,000 metres deep, where it is believed there is a stable population of these cetaceans. Designating an area around the most biodiverse protected sites on the entire Catalan coastline as suitable for the construction of floating wind farms could seriously affect the marine fauna and flora it is intended to protect.. Animals don't understand borders, and we should ensure that vulnerable and threatened species can move from one protected area to another without having to cross areas that pose a danger to them.

At the last United Nations Biodiversity Summit, held in Montreal in 2022, The objective was set to preserve 30% of the oceans by 2030. As of today, however, only 0.011 % of our sea is fully protected.

The humpback whale is one of the largest animals on our planet and ever to have existed. To witness these majestic creatures in their natural habitat is to bear witness to the wonders of the marine world that lies so close to us. Are we doing enough to protect them?

Date of article creation: 30/10/2024.

Header photo: A fin whale. Source (Generalitat de Catalunya).

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