Why are the Whales Here?

Why Are The Whales Here?

The whales gather in the waters near Gloucester, Massachusetts throughout the Summer months for one primary reason...to feed. The whales feed on the masses of schooling fish such as Herring, Sand Lance, Mackerel, Copepods, and Krill that gather here in these cold, nutrient rich waters to breed. These are the same masses of fish that led to Gloucester being the famous fishing port that it is today. Some of the larger whale species, such as Humpback Whales and Finback Whales, can consume over 3,000 pounds of fish per day!

These whales, however, don't remain in the area all year long. Many species of whales, especially Humpback whales, live highly a migratory lifestyle. While the thick layer of blubber (fat) that an adult whale has could easily keep it warm and well-insulated all winter long, a newborn whale does not have a protective blubber layer and must have warmer water in order to survive its first few months of life. Therefore, the whales are forced to leave our area in the late fall and travel to warmer regions to mate and give birth to their young. The major mating and calving grounds for this particular population of Humpback Whales is located just north the Caribbean Sea (on a few shallow water banks just north of the Dominican Republic).

Unfortunately for the whales, the warm water of the Caribbean and surrounding area has much less oxygen and dissolved nutrients than does the cold waters of Stellwagen Bank and Jeffrey's Ledge. Therefore the Caribbean exhibits less productivity and contains fewer small fish species for food. Therefore while the whales are in the Caribbean during the winter months they are fasting... they eat little or nothing for months at a time! During this long winter fast an adult Humpback Whale may lose up to 25% of it's total body weight (up to 20,000 pounds!). Now you can understand why they eat so much during the summer! "Our" Whales must migrate back and forth, traveling thousands of miles between colder waters in the north where food is abundant during the Summer and warmer waters more suitable for giving birth in the Winter.