Fin Whale Migration

Distribution

• Fin whales are found in every ocean on the planet, but can be divided into a large population in the Northern Hemisphere and another in the Southern Hemisphere. Researchers have divided the populations into three primary groups: the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and the Southern Hemisphere. While these groups migrate dramatically as seasons change, they tend to remain in these regions.

Feeding Waters

• During the summer, fin whales inhabit colder waters at the higher latitudes for feeding purposes. During this time, they gorge themselves on krill and small fish. They stay in the far north or far south ocean regions until autumn, when they begin to move on.

Breeding Waters

• Fin whales breed during the winter. During that time, they migrate from cooler waters to equatorial waters and essentially fast and live off their fat. Calves are born in the winter, but are weaned before the summer migration begins. Because much of the migration occurs in deep water, the exact patterns are not clear to researchers.

Mediterranean Fin Whales

• One subgroup of fin whales appears to migrate into and out of the Mediterranean Sea. Whales migrating west are known to travel through the Strait of Gibraltar to reach the Atlantic, but little information has been available on whales migrating into the Mediterranean. At least in some cases, the same animal migrates in both directions. In 1996, fin whale populations were estimated at 3,500 individuals. Two reported collisions with ships occurred in the Strait of Gibraltar between 2003 and 2005.