Though no inherent danger to inshore swimmers or boaters (fin whales are naturally shy of human contact), it’s not a good idea to get in their way. These 25-metre ‘greyhounds of the deep’ can accelerate from zero to 40 kilometres per hour in under five seconds, and weigh in at the equivalent of four of London’s double-decker buses, so they’re best given a wide berth.
Apart from monitoring the animals, the other aim of Project Ninam is to better understand the complex chain of dependencies that exists between marine life, sea-birds and the plant life of the northern Mediterranean. Though fin whales mainly trawl for krill, they also eat mackerel and herring. “One of the first signs of the whales feeding will be seabirds wheeling and diving over a rippled patch of water,” said Albert Lopez. “We’re interested in the whole picture. How each life-form relies on another.”
Working with very limited financial resources, running Project Ninam is proving a precarious balancing act. The couple spend a great deal of time campaigning and raising awareness among young people in schools and colleges; none of which brings in any income. However, in recognition of the work they are doing locally, the municipality of Roses is funding their mooring fee (not cheap at m12,000 a year) for a two-year period. They also work in conjunction with UAB, taking biology and veterinary students on trips to help with the project and earn degree credits along the way.
Many of the fin whales that pass close to the Catalunya coast are regular visitors, returning every year. Each animal is unique and by photographing the dorsal fin, noting its size, shape and distinguishing marks, individual whales can be identified. “They nearly always come back to the same place each year to gather, to socialise and to mate,” said Lopez. “They’re extraordinary creatures and although we’ve already carried out a huge amount of research, there is still a great deal more to learn.”
One of the classic sights in the world of nature is the drama of a huge sea mammal ‘breaching’, propelling itself high out of the water. “Bull whales do this as a call to mating,” said Gonzàlez. “They aim to attract the female with both the leap, and the sound they make as they crash back into the sea.”
A key element of Project Ninam is to involve the local community. A new initiative is being planned with the port authorities of Roses and nearby Empuriabrava whereby local fishermen and pleasure-boaters are being encouraged to log any sightings on their GPS system and pass on the information by email. Harnessing local support in this way greatly expands the project’s capability of building up an accurate database of all cetaceans in the region.
While the fin whale has no serious natural predator in the animal world, their greatest threat comes from man. Apart from overfishing, which ultimately reduces their food supply, there is the noise and risk of collision from boats. Worse still are pollutants that are continually pumped into the Mediterranean, such as run-off from agricultural pesticides and chemical waste from industry, endangering the sea’s already fragile eco-balance.
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