Rare sighting of polar whale in Dutch waters
Over the last few days, a beluga whale has been seen off the coast of the Netherlands, raising concerns about its survival and also attracting some unwanted attention.
A 4.6-metre-long white whale was spotted off Callantsoog in the Netherlands on 17 January. It has spent the last 12 days off the coast between Egmond aan Zee and Den Helder in the province Noord-Holland.
When the first report came in about an unidentified white object moving in the sea, the national sea rescue service (Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij or KNRM) did not expect their investigation to reveal this wholly white marine mammal usually found in the icy waters of the Arctic and subarctic circles.
Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are uniquely adapted to life in the northern seas. They have a thick layer of blubber that protects them against cold water temperatures, are sophisticated echolocators, and have adapted to living and hunting in changing sea ice conditions.
The last time an ‘out of habitat’ beluga whale was spotted off the Dutch coast was in 1984. However, it was very difficult to observe the whale from the shore at that time, so it largely went unnoticed by the public – unlike the well-remembered individual who appeared in 1966 and swam up the river Rhine and across the entire Netherlands before eventually returning to the North Sea.
The current beluga is being monitored by Stichting SOS Dolfijn, a foundation specialising in the rescue and rehabilitation of cetaceans in distress in the Dutch part of the North Sea. The animal appears healthy and active and shows no signs of injury or entanglement. According to Jeroen Hoekendijk, a marine biologist and volunteer for SOS Dolfijn, an animal in the same condition in the Arctic would not raise any concern at all. However, its current location is astonishing – and raises concerns about changing habitats in the rapidly warming Arctic.
The beluga whale has become an attraction over the past few days. Worryingly, there have been an increasing number of observations of boats and drones approaching the animal. These disturbances have, at times, caused strong reactions from him or her including changes in swimming direction and speed, tail slapping and evasive actions. Such responses are likely to increase the animal’s energy expenditure and cause it stress. SOS Dolfijn has therefore issued a national appeal to keep well away from the whale and only observe it from the shore.
As the animal appears healthy, it is hoped that it will soon find its way back to its natural habitat independently, and that no intervention is currently required beyond appealing to the public to leave it undisturbed.
This is the latest in a series of marine mammals observed along European coasts far from home. In recent decades a handful of solitary belugas have visited Europe, including sightings of them from France, Germany, Denmark and Scotland. One famously based itself in the busy River Thames in 2018-2019 before quietly disappearing.
Several walruses have also been seen in recent years. OceanCare has been monitoring these animals and has published advice about how best to respond to them. It seems likely, at least in part that changes in the Arctic as a result of climate change are driving animals south to look for new habitat and prey.
More about OceanCare’s work and a link to our latest paper about Out of Habitat Marine Mammals can be found here.
© Photo Courtey of Jeroen Hoekendijk SOS-Dolfijn