Bottom-Feeding Behavior of Humpback Whales

(University of New Hampshire, November 01, 2013)

Humpback whales are known for the complexity of their feeding techniques, which include “trapping” krill and other prey within bubble nets they produce and gulping up to two-thirds their weight in prey-laden water. Now, scientists of the University of New Hampshire have confirmed that humpback whales in the southern Gulf of Maine are spending more feeding time on the ocean floor than in any of these other feeding behaviors. Because entanglement in fishing gear is a major risk to humpbacks, these findings have implications on bottom-set gear like those used in lobster traps.