Photo: NEAq Aerial Observers
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Researchers with the New England Aquarium were treated to quite the sight earlier this week. A group of humpback whales were spotted "bubble feeding" off Martha's Vineyard.
On Monday, Aug. 14, the Aquarium's aerial survey team caught sight of the group of more than a dozen whales. Among them was "Salt," a humpback whale they've been monitoring since the mid-1970s. The whale is easily recognizable by the white flecks on her dorsal fin and has a long history with the area, giving birth to 16 calves over the years.
"It was a rare treat for our survey team to see this iconic female humpback," the aquarium said.
It's been quite the year for the New England Aquarium. Earlier in May, there were reports of an orca spotted near Cape Cod.
"While it is not often that we see orcas in New England, we do see evidence of previous encounters with large whales that visit our waters," the aquarium said. "While orca attacks on humpback whales are rarely observed, these interactions can be documented through the scars left behind by an orca’s teeth. These scars are often found on the tip of a whale’s fluke (tail) and are called 'rake marks' due to the appearance of the parallel lines. Calves are more vulnerable to these attacks than adults due to their small size, and these scars will last their whole life. Around 15 percent of humpbacks in the Gulf of Maine have rake marks."
Researchers say they've discovered two humpback whales with rake marks on their flukes this summer. One was a calf, the other an adult who likely was attacked when she was younger.
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