THE MIGRATORY HABITS OF HUMPBACK WHALES

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27989, 8 June 1956, Page 6

THE MIGRATORY HABITS OF HUMPBACK WHALES

Valuable information concerning the nigratory habits of whales has been 3rovided by one of nine humpbacks aptured in Cook Strait by the Tory Channel whaling party. It was spotted from the lookout at ‘he entrance to Tory Channel by a •nan who exactly a year previously lad seen it in approximately the same position in the Strait.

It had then been too small to kill and was allowed to continue its ourney north. The whale was spotted on May 31 last year by Mr M. Kenny, a former gunner with the whaling ■'arty, who, although he now lives in Blenheim, puts in a day or so each rear with the men who take part in ‘he hazardous job hunting whales. It was then estimated to be aboui 10 feet long, too small to be captured, so a marker was shot into it and it was sent on its way. The marker, a tainless steel peg on which is stamped such data as the date and year and he locality in which the whale was ntercepted. provides scientists with

information about the migratory habits of whales.

On May 31 this year Mr Kenny was again spending a day or so with the whalers and from the lookout he spotted a whale about 14 miles out. The chasers wjent out ana a kill was made.

When the whale was taken to the factory for boiling down, the marker was found identifying the whale as the one Mr Kenny had spotted in almost the same position last year.

The whale had grown approximately 6ft in the year. Where it had been since last year is a matter for conjecture. There is no doubt, however, that it had returned south during the summer months and that it was again on the move to wariper waters when it was intercepted in Cook Strait last week. It had also acquired for itself a mate who shared its fate.

The 23 whales captured during Maj’ constitute a record catch for that month, the previous best figure for May being 20 caught in 1952.