Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1363129
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 APRIL 2021 NEWS LAURA CALLEJA PEOPLE tend to think of whales as dwellers of oceans. But these giant marine mammals are in fact closer to us than most prob- ably think. The viral video of a fin whale just off Gozo's Ta' Sanap cliffs was once again a reminder of the wonders of nature that became more evident in the reduced hu- man activity prompted by the C O V - ID-19 pandem- ic: a rare encounter with creatures we only witness in TV documentaries. The video from Facebook user Melania Bajada gave viewers a treat as they saw the fin whale surfacing to breathe in Maltese waters. Biologist Alan Deidun, director of the International Ocean Insti- tute, believes the whale's size un- doubtedly makes it a Fin Whale – 23 species of whale have been recorded in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, from the small porpoise (1.5m) to the fin whale (20m). "Although the total size of the fin whale population in the Med- iterranean is unknown, an esti- mate for a portion of the western basin, where most of the whales are known to live, was approxi- mately 3,500 individuals. 10 spe- cies of dolphins and whales are regularly found in the Mediter- ranean region. A further 13 spe- cies are vagrant and only occur occasionally in these waters," Deidun explained. Nine cetaceans are qualified as t h r e a t - ened in the Mediterranean ba- sin, which include the Mediter- ranean populations of Sperm Whale and the short-beaked Common Dolphin. Since 2001, the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, the Mediter- ranean Sea and Contiguous At- lantic Area (ACCOBAMS), has worked for the development of cetacean conservation in the re- gion. Fin whales, or 'balena kbira' in Maltese, are species of baleen whales. The e annual migration of baleen whales has historically been described worldwide as a seasonal cycle of summer, feed- ing in productive high-latitude areas, and winter breeding and calving in warm low-latitude waters, where feeding is absent. "Genetic evidence shows that Mediterranean fin whale indi- viduals in this population are distinct from their North Atlan- tic counterparts, and a recent acoustic study has revealed the existence of two populations of fin whales in the western Med- iterranean: one which travels back and forth between south- ern Spain and the north-east- ern North Atlantic and a second, more eastern, Mediter- ranean-only population," Dei- dun said. The latter population, the res- ident Mediterranean fin whale population, deviates from the traditional paradigm of whale migration observed worldwide in three significant respects. The f i r s t being that they remain within the mid to low-latitude, semi-en- closed Mediterranean Sea year-round. However, some individuals stay in the broader north-western feeding grounds in winter months. Secondly, they feed not only during the summer but also dur- ing the winter. Third, they may disperse from summer aggre- gation sites, using most of the Mediterranean Sea for feeding, breeding and calving at different times of the year. "The fin whales which annu- ally skirt our coasts form part of the latter population," Dei- dun said. So during the sum- mer, Mediterranean fin whales Whales in the Mediterranean: more common than you think Thick tail stock, and distinct ridge from dorsal fin to tail flues, giving rise to the names 'finback' or 'razorback' White belly, may have yellow film of diatoms/algae Long stream line body Small and slender flipper with pointed tip. Dark on top, white underneath Body is dark or silvery grey to brownish black, usually with very little scarring or mottling Small curved and pointed dorssal fin that slopes backward The shot that thrilled the island: Benjamin Grech gets the full frontal of the noble creature seen off the Sanap cliffs in Gozo