First blue whale of the season spotted

May 15th, 2009, 5:13 pm · 2 Comments · posted by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Just got a call from Capt. Dave Anderson out of Dana Point to say they saw the first blue whale of the season today.

It was a big one, stretching out about 80 feet. It was spotted about 4.7 miles south of the harbor.

It’s a bit early in the season to see the blue whales, but hopefully this sighting means we will have a strong season again!

In recent years, there’s been more than 100 sightings each season, making local charter boat captains think that they’ve found a new feeding ground here.

Just a few years ago, it was a strange sight to see just one or two during the summer, with the blue whale traditionally heading toward the Santa Barbara and Monterey area to feed.

The image below shows the whale spotted today, and was sent by Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari.

Scientists estimate that before the 1800s, when whalers stepped up their hunting of the blues for their oil, meat and bones, there were about 220,000 spread throughout the world’s oceans. Today, that figure is about 11,000, with about 2,000 found along our coast.

Fun facts about the blue whale:
•The blue whale’s main food source is krill, a shrimp-like crustacean. Large whales can eat up to 4 tons a day.
•A big question remains about the creatures: Scientists are unsure where they go to breed. Some believe they go near Costa Rica.

•They can get up to about 100 feet long and weigh 190 tons.
•Calves are about 20 feet long at birth, and weigh about 5,000 pounds.
•Their voices can travel thousands of miles, and they can recognize voices.
•Their hearts are the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.